DIRECTV to Add Free AMC+ and Shudder to Some Packages

AMC+ is quickly becoming an automatic win for live TV streamers. You can already get it free with Philo, but starting next year, you’ll get it free with any DIRECTV package that carries the linear AMC channel. The horror streamer Shudder will be added for free to one of DIRECTV’s ultra-affordable genre packs.

The real value will be for subscribers to DIRECTV’s $34.99 MyEntertainment package. They already get free Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max (normally $19.99 on its own). And because the channel lineup includes AMC, that means you’d get AMC+ for free as well. That is a fantastic bargain.

AMC+ does automatically include Shudder’s wonderful horror library. Looking at DIRECTV’s genre packs, the only one where it seems a standalone Shudder may make sense is the $9.99 MyCinema mini-pack.

Deals, Deals, Deals

AMC has a really unique strategy beyond its linear cable channel.

First, the company has many popular free ad-supported channels. You can find channels like Stories by AMC, AMC Thrillers, and The Walking Dead Universe on free streamers like Pluto TV, Xumo Play, Roku Channel, and the ever-versatile Plex.

Second, AMC licenses older seasons of its library to Netflix. In today’s earnings call, AMC CEO Kristin Dolan said, “We reserve new seasons of our most important franchises for our own platforms and get the promotional benefits of making prior seasons available to Netflix’s large base of U.S. subscribers.”

That’s incredibly smart. AMC’s own “Breaking Bad” is the rare show that gained viewers every season, in part because newcomers had an easy way to catch up on the gold-standard crime drama, no matter when they started watching. I had a friend who binged the entire show in two weeks leading up to the final episode in 2013. That was only possible thanks to the Netflix partnership at the time.

Third, AMC+ is leveraging its partnership with Prime Video to offer great bundle savings you can’t find anywhere else, including a rare triple-bundle with STARZ and MGM+. These streaming services may be competitors elsewhere, but they’re teaming up for a truce within Prime Video, and that helps everyone save money.

AMC may not be able to compete with the volume or pace of streamers like HBO Max or Netflix, but it’s wisely using its library to try to hook new viewers, whether they watch for free or they pay to skip ads. If they can hook you on any other platform, you may be willing to pay for AMC+ to catch the newest episodes when they air exclusively on that service.

It’s a smart strategy, and that’s why AMC reported its streamers (AMC+, Shudder, Sundance Now, IFC Films Unlimited, Acorn TV, HIDIVE, and ALLBLK) reached 10.4 million subscribers.