AMC in Canada

[lostjon]

It appears that the current distribution deals between major Canadian providers and AMC are up for renewal. And with that, customers are being informed that the channel will be removed from their service in the coming weeks.

Rogers previously had a dispute over distribution rights but reached a multi-year agreement in March 2013 but have set January 1, 2020 as the removal date.

Bell is looking to remove the channel from its services effective February 1.

From what I have seen with Rogers, everytime they have news about channels being removed from their service, they always start it with the following disclaimer:
"Occasionally, we make changes to our channel offerings to reflect the evolving viewership trends of our customers."

AMC is a fairly popular channel, driven in large part by The Walking Dead, along with a few other original long-running series including Fear the Walking Dead and Better Call Saul. So the statement put out by Rogers does not tell the whole story, and instead, they are simply using this as a tactic against the channel to obtain terms that will be suitable for both parties.

AMC looks to be calling the shots in terms of how their channel can continue being carried by various providers. If it comes at a cost that proves to be too high for Rogers or any provider for that matter, they find themslves in situations like this one. And those costs will just get passed on to subscribers.

https://www.thestar.com/business/201...e-clashed.html

If history is any indication, optimistically speaking, AMC and the providers will eventually reach a deal, but I have a feeling there's going to be a catch at some point. Back in 2013, AMC was home to a number of popular long-running series: The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad (final season) and Mad Men. So it was crucial to get something done at the time. While the providers may be able to continue carrying AMC, they may have no choice but to offer it in a package that will prove too costly for subscribers. Further driving up the costs just to keep AMC will likely backfire and force more customers to cut their television services altogether, save for those who have no other way to watch The Walking Dead except on AMC, but eventually that show will reach its end. When it does and the distribution deals are up for renewal again, it will be a different story.

FYI, all this is in line with providers required to give customers a notice of at least 30 days upon dropping a channel from their service, so for now at least, it's standard procedure. It just so happens that Rogers and Bell are the ones up for renewal deals with AMC:
https://twitter.com/gregobr/status/1206216532809924608

[Test Pattern]

To me AMC means "Alot More Commercials" and thats all they ever show is "Alot More Commercials" than they do Movies every 5 Minutes. TCM on the other hand No Commercials and therefore I'd rather be watching TCM over AMC. I wouldn't be surprised if Shaw and Shaw Direct will follow suit next in dropping AMC.

[mtlguy]

To me AMC means "Alot More Commercials" and thats all they ever show is "Alot More Commercials" than they do Movies every 5 Minutes. TCM on the other hand No Commercials and therefore I'd rather be watching TCM over AMC. I wouldn't be surprised if Shaw and Shaw Direct will follow suit next in dropping AMC.

Most people subscribe to AMC for the series, not the movies. If it only had the movies and no original series, they providers would have removed it from their line-up a while ago.

Nobody Rogers, Bell or anyone else will probably drop them. It is always a last minute deal and because they need to advsise customer at least 30 days before droping a channel, that is why they did.

[mtlguy]

As expected Rogers has done a last minute deal on December 31st to keep AMC on their line-up.

Bell still negociating for a Feb. 1st deadline.

[lostjon]

As expected Rogers has done a last minute deal on December 31st to keep AMC on their line-up.

Bell still negociating for a Feb. 1st deadline.

It's February 1st and from what I can see, AMC is still on Bell. Still showing on the EPG and being offered on their website, so in that regard, it looks promising and we can assume that Bell quietly reached a deal with AMC to keep it in their lineup.

Just to be sure, let's wait and see if this is still the case on Monday. Given that today is Saturday, Bell usually holds off on any decisions to remove channels during the weekend (unless it is coming directly from the owner) and wait until the next business day to take any action.

Otherwise, Bell was just following standard procedure but at the same time has opted to keep mum about the whole issue to avoid facing any criticism like Rogers did in the past few months.

UPDATE: It's official. Bell has reached an agreement with AMC. https://twitter.com/Bell_Support/sta...12285651828736