Tag Archives: Bob Odenkirk
Posted on December 1, 2014 by htfergus
by Griffin Morrow
AMC Networks and their cable family. [31]
AMC Networks Inc., operating under the title of Rainbow Media Holdings for decades, is a former subsidiary of Cablevison that was spun off in the Summer of 2011 as a publicly traded company [1]. The New York based organization owns and operates cable channels AMC, IFC, WE tv, and SundanceTV and recently acquired a stake in BBC America [2]. AMC, the obvious bell-cow of the cable bundle, has birthed dramas such as Mad Men and Breaking Bad that helped catalyze the so called "golden age" in cable television from 2007 onwards. This stretch of critical acclaim has scored AMC 207 Emmy nominations along with 33 wins [3], including five of the last six Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series [4].
Joshua Sapan – President and Chief Executive Officer (photos curtesy of AMC Networks [37])
Charles F. Dolan – Executive Chairman
Edward A. Carroll – Chief Operating Officer
Sean S. Sullivan – Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Programming Reach
Ranking as the 14th most watched network among the coveted 18-49 demo [5], AMC reaches 97 million American households. AMC Networks, however, finds itself in a unfortunate predicament. Other cable entities WE tv, IFC, and Sundance have failed to match the margins AMC has managed. Among the 18-49 demographic, WE tv ranks 39th, IFC stumbles into 58th, and Sundance checks in at a disappointing 88th [6].
Three year economic landscape since going public [33].
To the blind eye, AMC Networks would seemingly be reveling in their cult-like headlining dramas they've found in Madison Avenue and meth making high school chemistry teachers. Since going public on June 21st of 2011 AMC Networks shares are up nearly $29 in price, an increase of almost 82% over three years [7]. Affiliate fees augmented from a 2007 margin of 22 cents per customer per month to 33 cents in 2013 [8]. The recent 3Q report stated a stout 31% increase in net revenue from levels a year ago to $514.2 million [9]. So what's not to like for AMC Networks? Ad revenues have slipped by 6% in this recent quarter with a 19% drop in audiences [10]. Operating income this quarter was $12 million short of last years. Shares hit a 52-week low on October 13th when prices fell to $52.75. Moreover, AMCX stock has tumbled by approximately 18% in the last year.
Life After Mad and Bad
Dramatic successes that once stoked the AMC flame have begun to fade. Viewers said goodbye to Breaking Bad last fall and will prepare to jettison Mad Men after it's end next spring. Questions as to how the organization will survive such gigantic losses in programming have dominated industry conversations for some time. One common theme reigns supreme: if AMC plans on continuing on, they need something to replace their prior hits. And fast. The majority of the industry, AMC Networks investors in particular, are wondering if this is possible.
Zombies Devouring American Audiences
Protagonist Rick Grimes investigates a desolate Atlanta in the iconic season 1 poster. [32]
The most life in AMC Networks ironically resides within the cold clammy hands of the undead. A television adaption of Robert Kirkman's zombie apocalypse graphic novel "The Walking Dead" has has wowed audiences suspenseful storytelling and heaps of zombie carnage. The Walking Dead premiered on Halloween night in 2010 with 5.35 million viewers, an AMC first [11]. The show has produced end over end increase since. The Walking Dead ended it's 4th season with an average of 13.3 million viewers [12], a growth margin that prompted AMC to renew the show for a sixth season before the fifth season even aired [13].
A "Walker" enjoying a mid-afternoon snack. [34]
The infectious love for zombies has proved so strong that the first episode of season five shattered television viewing history. An audience of 17.3 million viewers for the season five premiere crowded The Walking Dead as the highest rated show in cable television history [14]. The October 12th premiere, with help from the 7% increase in viewership, managed to out muscle typical ratings power house Sunday Night Football [15]. Playing off of a dedicated following from the graphic novel has allowed the show to become the most popular program among the 18-49 demographic for two consecutive years [16].
Lightning Doesn't Strike Twice…
All in all, AMC networks has whiffed when it comes to finding their next trademark show. Recently premiering series that AMC networks hoped would share the same prestigious stage as their predecessors have fallen significantly short. Rubicon, a conspiracy thriller set against the New York skyline, proved anything but thrilling for viewers and was cancelled three months after debuting due to subpar ratings [17].
The Walking Dead stifles the average viewership of the other AMC programming. [35]
The Detroit based crime drama Low Winter Sun adapted from a two-part British mini-series of the same name lasted only ten episodes [18]. Even the more constant series such as Hell on Wheels, Halt and Catch Fire, and TURN have underperformed expectations.
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While millions may have mourned the passing of anti-hero Walter White reign on television, they will not have to wait long to satisfy their Breaking Bad junkie addictions. Former show runner Vince Gilligan and AMC have partnered to produce a prequel to the former Emmy winning series [19]. Better Call Saul, airing this upcoming February, will star Bob Odenkirk and be set six years prior to the events of Breaking Bad. AMC has already renewed the spin off for a 13 episode second season despite a delayed production process [20]. AMC also green lit preliminary production on a companion series for current hit The Walking Dead earlier this year [21]. The show will be standalone from the current series, displaying a new set of characters in an entirely different region of the post-apocolyptic zombie world. Both spin offs are obvious attempts by AMC Networks to brandish new programming through past and present successes.
DirecTV and AMC Clash on Contract
AMC Networks warning message earlier this month on website to DirecTV viewers about potential stoppages in content. [36]
DirecTV viewers may been in danger of losing AMC Networks' programming after this holiday season. AMC Networks went public with a contract dispute with the satellite provider during a November 2 episode of The Walking Dead [22]. They warned viewers that they were at risk of missing future content stating that DirecTV had not "engaged in meaning negotiations". AMC Networks has gained a reputation of quarreling with service providers by often publicizing carrier contract disputes and using their viewer as meaningful leverage. Disputes have included Verizon FiOS [23], Suddenlink Communications [24], Rogers Communications [25], and AT&T U-Verse [26] over the past two years. The worst of the carrier disputes came when DISH dropped AMC Networks from their service for nearly four months [27]. The conflict, like the others, stemmed from AMC Networks aggressive price evaluation set in an attempt to profit from newfound success in dramatic programming.
International Distribution Taking Center Stage
AMC Networks rolled out programming in various international markets starting in November, an organizational first for a company that once prided itself on broadcasting classic American movies. AMC International started distribution in Europe with broadcasts in Spain on November 5th [28]. Broadcasts of the new international distribution arm furthered in Latin America a week later [29]. The company plans to continue it's stretch across the globe with further rollouts. These recent investments into foreign markets can be linked to AMC Netoworks' $1.04 billion purchase of Liberty Global's content division Chellomedia last year [30]. The array of TV networks will be distributed across an estimated 138 countries worldwide with access to more than 390 million foreign households.
[1] AMC Networks Becomes a Public and Separate Company AMC Networks RT: 11/24/14
[2] AMC close to $200 deal for stake in BBC America New York Times RT: 11/24/14
[3] Budget Squeezing, Producer "Bake-Offs" and Post-'Breaking Bad' Challenges The Hollywood Reporter RT: 11/24/14
[4] Emmy Nominee/Winner Database Television Academy RT: 11/24/14
[5] 'The Walking Dead' Is A Huge Hit. So Why Is AMC's Stock Trading So Low? Forbes RT: 11/24/14
[6] 'Dead' Breathes Life into AMC Networks Adweek RT: 11/24/14
[7] Financials: AMC Networks Inc (AMCX.OQ) Reuters RT: 12/1/14
[8] AMC is Thriving by Breaking the Rules of Legacy TV The Atlantic RT: 11/24/14
[9] AMC Networks tops 3Q net income and revenue expectations Associated Press RT: 11/24/14
[10] Media Companies miss ad dollars after signing streaming deals NYPost RT: 11/24/14
[11] 'The Walking Dead' Snags AMC Highest Premiere Ratings of 2010 Time RT: 11/24/14
[12] The Walking Dead Season 4 Finale Breaks Finale Record With 15.7 Million Viewers AMC blog RT: 11/24/14
[13] 'The Walking Dead' Renewed for Season 6 Variety RT: 11/24/14
[14] Walking Dead breaking US cable TV record BBC News RT: 11/24/14
[15] 'The Walking Dead' Season 5 Premiere Hits Series High Ratings, Delivering 11 Million Adults 18.49 & 17.3 Million Viewers TVbytheNumbers RT: 11/24/14
[16] 'Walking Dead' Renewed For Season 6 By AMC Deadline Hollywood RT: 11/24/14
[17] 'Rubicon' is Cancelled by AMC Entertainment Weekly RT: 12/1/14
[18] 'Low Winter Sun' Cancelled by AMC Variety RT: 11/24/14
[19] 'Better Call Saul,' a prequel spinoff series from 'Breaking Bad,' greenlit by AMC NY Daily News RT: 11/24/14
[20] 'Better Call Saul' Renewed for Second Season, Delayed Until 2015 Rollingstone RT: 11/24/14
[21] 'The Walking Dead' companion series gets pilot greenlight Entertainment Weekly RT: 11/24/14
[22] AMC Uses 'Walking Dead' Fans as Weapon in DirecTV Talks Bloomberg RT: 11/24/14
[23] AMC Networks Warns Verizon FiOS Customers That Channels Could Go Dark Deadline Hollywood RT: 11/24/14
[24] AMC Networks, Suddenlink in License Fee Dispute Broadcasting and Cable RT: 11/24/14
[25] Rogers and AMC Networks End Carriage Dispute With Multi-Year Canadian Deal The Hollywood Reporter RT: 11/24/14
[26] AT&T Statement on AMC Networks Programming Agreement AT&T press release RT: 11/24/14
[27] Dish Network Says It Will Drop AMC Networks Due To Price, Not VOOM Deadline Hollywood RT: 11/24/14
[28] AMC TV channel launches in Spain telecompaper RT: 11/24/14
[29] AMC Networks International Announces Major Expansion of Sundance Channel Global in Latin America With First-Ever Launches in Six Territories AMC International press release RT: 11/24/14
[30] AMC to Buy Liberty Global's Chellomedia for $1.04 Billion Bloomberg RT: 11/24/14
[31] AMC Networks logo AMC Networks Website RT: 12/1/14
[32] Walking Dead season 1 poster IMDb image search RT: 12/1/14
[33] AMCX stock three year chart GoogleFinance RT: 12/1/14
[34] Zombie eating an arm Walking Dead fan page RT: 12/1/14
[35] AMC programming averages TV by the Numbers RT: 12/1/14
[36] AMC Networks warning page AMC Networks website RT: 12/1/14
[37] Executive Officers AMC Networks Websites RT: 12/1/14
Posted in TRF235 Fall 2014, TRF235.1	| Tagged adults 18-49, affiliate fees, AMC, AMC International, AMC media, AMC Networks, AMCX, AT&T U-Verse, BBC America, Better Call Saul, Bob Odenkirk, Breaking Bad, Cable, Cablevision, Charles F. Dolan, Chellomedia, DirecTV, DISH, Edward A. Carroll, Emmy, Golden Age, Halt and Catch Fire, Hello on Wheels, IFC, Jeese Pinkman, Joshua Sapan, Low Winter Sun, Mad Men, Madison Ave, New York, original series, Rick Grimes, Robert Kirkman, Rogers Communications, Rubicon, Sean S. Sullivan, Suddenlink Communications, Sundance Channel, Sunday Night Football, the Walking Dead, Turn, Verizon FiOS, Vince Gilligan, Walkers, Walter White, zombies
Posted on March 15, 2014 by Tyler Cunningham
By Tyler Cunningham
courtesy of [1] hitstate.com
11 Penn Plaza – New York, NY 10001 – (646)-273-7105
HISTORY + ABOUT:
Upon its launch in 1980, AMC Networks was originally known as Rainbow Media Holdings LLC, a subsidiary of Cablevision. After 25 years of successful programming and mergers, Cablevision executives took Rainbow Media public on July 1st, 2011 under its new name, AMC Network Entertainment. [2]
courtesy of [3] imgl.wikia.nocookie.net
Now in its third year as a publicly traded company, AMC Networks owns and operates some of today's most popular cable channels including AMC, Sundance TV, WE tv and IFC. Additionally, the company owns the independent film distributor, IFC Films, as well as the IFC Center cinema in Greenwich Village. [4] AMC Networks has a commitment to producing only the most distinctive and compelling content that engages many different audiences.
Joshua W. Sapan – President & CEO
Edward A. Carroll – COO
Sean E. Sullivan – Executive VP & CFO
FINANCIALS AS OF SPRING 2014:
AMC Networks has not yet reported its First Quarter earnings for 2014, however it recently reported its Fourth Quarter & Full-Year Earnings for 2013.
The Fourth Quarter saw a net revenue increase of 18.7% to $435 million, up from $395 million in the company's Third Quarter report. [6] And what's more is that 2013 saw an annual net revenue increase of 17.7% to $1.592 billion, up from $1.353 billion in 2012.These increases, according to CEO Joshua Sapan, can be entirely attributed to the company's "ability to produce content that is valuable and monetizeable." [7]
courtesy of [8] nasdaq.com
The company is publicly traded as AMCX on NASDAQ and has seen an especially successful Spring 2014. As seen in this graph that documents AMCX's share price since going public in 2011, the price has been at an all-time high since the beginning of 2014, hitting $78.39 per share on March 7th. This is up from $59.18 on the same day in 2013.
RECENT HAPPENINGS:
AMC's The Walking Dead Continues its Ratings Reign –
courtesy of [9] beyondhollywood.com
Even in the face of the XXII Winter Olympics, The Walking Dead's mid-season premiere on February 9th still garnered 16 million viewers and maintained its position as the highest-rated program on all of television in the key 18-49 demographic. [10] The zombie apocalypse drama's popularity is commonly attributed to its incredibly tense storytelling and excellent character development. The Walking Dead will return for its fifth season this October.
Chellomedia is Offically Acquried for $1 Billion –
courtesy of [11] chellomediapaytv.com
After a lengthy courting process, AMC Networks purchased the London-based Chellomedia for $1 billion this spring. Chellomedia is a European television content distributor that owns and operates a massive collection of channels that reach an estimated 390 million homes across Europe. AMC Networks reportedly made the acquisition to broaden their European audience. [12] With net earnings of $465 million in 2013, Chellomedia is expected to now make up 20% of AMC Networks' earnings. [13]
Final Season of Mad Men Opens to Lackluster Ratings –
courtesy of [16]
There's no denying that Mad Men is one of the most critically-acclaimed shows in recent history, but when it comes to ratings, AMC wins some and they lose some. The seventh and final season of Mad Men premiered on April 13th to just 2.3 million viewers – their lowest premiere rating since the show's second season in 2008. [14] Media analysts suspect that recycled, overused plot lines in season six (Don was predictably unfaithful, etc.) are to blame for the loss of public interest. [15]
New Drama, Turn, Premieres to Lukewarm Reviews –
AMC was hoping to add to its collection of hit dramas with the new Revolutionary War espionage thriller, Turn. However, it is looking unlikely that they will be able to do so. The series premiere on April 6th opened to a modest 2.1 million viewers (only .5 of them in the 18-49 demographic) and a bag of mixed reviews. [17] While some publications celebrated its arresting cinematography and stellar performances [18], most have labeled the show as "hollow," with very little suspense or excitement to be found in its storytelling. [19] Turn – Trailer (YouTube)
UPCOMING PROJECTS:
Tech Drama, Halt and Catch Fire, to Premiere June 1st –
With Breaking Bad put to rest and Mad Men not far behind, "the question of 'what's next' looms large for AMC." [20] And many who attended the SXSW sneak peak of Halt and Catch Fire argue that the new series has what it takes to be the network's next big smash. [21] The 1980s period drama tells the story of three techies with dreams of creating a more perfect personal computer that has the potential of replacing the most popular IBM model. The show's riveting storytelling explores the multiple motives, burned bridges and egos involved in the fight to weaken IBM as the dominant player in the marketplace. The aptly titled series is slated for a June 1st premiere. Halt and Catch Fire – Trailer (YouTube)
courtesy of [25] amctv.com
Breaking Bad spinoff, Better Call Saul, to Premiere in November –
Diehard Breaking Bad fans were given reason to live again after a spinoff series, Better Call Saul, was announced following the show's wrap. The show will center around Bob Odenkirk's character, Saul Goodman, Albuquerque's favorite crooked lawyer, and is named after the character's hopelessly corny business slogan. The show will not be "Breaking Bad 2.0," but rather a dive into the smattering of trouble and hilarity that ensues as a result of Saul's shady business practices. [22] Better Call Saul – Webisode (YouTube)
courtesy of [26] leviathyn.com
Dark Comic Series, Preacher, to be Adapted for Television –
After many failed starts with other production companies, the 1990s comic book series, Preacher, will receive its first major television treatment from AMC. Preacher tells the story of Jesse Custer, a Texas preacher who becomes possessed by a supernatural entity that is half-angel, half-demon, making Custer the most powerful creature on Earth. Through his possession, he discovers that God has abandoned his responsibilities in Heaven and is now roaming freely on Earth. A preacher to his core, Custer sets out on a journey to track down God and send him back to his post. However, there are many demonic forces that will stop at nothing to keep this preacher from reaching God. The Seth Rogan-produced religious thriller is hoped to bring success similar to that of The Walking Dead. [23] A release date has not yet been set.
courtesy of [24] empireonline.com
[1] – HitState, RT: 4/16/2014
[2] – Deadline, RT: 4/16/2014
[3] – imgl.wikia.nocookie, RT: 4/16/2014
[4] – AMC Networks, RT: 4/16/2014
[5] – AMC Networks – Investors, RT: 4/17/2014
[7] – Seeking Alpha, RT: 4/17/2014
[8] – NASDAQ, RT: 4/17/2014
[9] – Beyond Hollywood, RT: 4/17/2014
[10] – Seeking Alpha, RT: 4/18/2014
[11] – Chellomedia, RT: 4/18/2014
[12] – The Hollywood Reporter, RT: 4/18/2014
[14] – E! Online, RT: 4/18/2014
[15] – Indiewire, RT: 4/18/2014
[16] – SquareSpace, RT: 4/18/2014
[17] – Vulture, RT: 4/18/2014
[18] – The Daily Beast, RT: 4/19/2014
[19] – Variety, RT: 4/19/2014
[20] – Forbes, RT: 4/19/2014
[22] – Screenrant, RT: 4/19/2014
[24] – Empire, RT: 4/19/2014
[25] – AMC TV, RT: 4/19/2014
[26] – Leviathyn, RT: 4/19/2014
Posted in TRF 235 Spring 2014, TV Programming (Cable)	| Tagged AMC, AMC Networks, AMCX, Annual, Better Call Saul, Bob Odenkirk, Breaking Bad, Cable, Cablevision, Charles Dolan, Edward Carroll, espionage, First Quarter, Halt and Catch Fire, IBM, IFC, IFC Center, Jesse Custer, Joshua Sapan, Mad Men, NASDAQ, Net Earnings, Preacher, Rainbow Media Holdings, Sean Sullivan, Seth Rogan, Sundance, Television, the Walking Dead, Third Quarter, Turn, Vertigo Comics, WE tv