Want to stream Mad Men and Tales of the Walking Dead for less? Now you can, if you’re willing to pony up for a new version of AMC+ with ads.
As is promised back in April, AMC Networks is rolling out an ad-supported tier of AMC+, Variety reports. The new AMC+ “with ads” tier costs $4.99 a month, versus $8.99 a month for the ad-free AMC+.
With its latest move, AMC+ joins the ranks of such big-name streamers as Netflix, Disney+, Max, and now Amazon, which will soon begin charging an extra fee for an ad-free version of Prime Video.
Why is AMC Networks debuting an ad-supported version of AMC+? For the same reason all the other big streamers are: to snag more subscribers in a streaming market that’s become increasingly saturated.
AMC+ is the home of such old favorites as Mad Men and Portlandia, as well as newer original shows such as Lucky Hank, Tales of the Walking Dead, Interview with the Vampire, Kevin Can F**k Himself, and Being Human.
Besides shows, AMC+ offers a variety of original movies, including Vesper, Corsage (starring Vicky Krieps from Phantom Thread), and The Apology.
Of course, AMC+ doesn’t only offer AMC shows and films, with the streamer also bundling titles from Shudder, Sundance Now, and IFC Films Unlimited.
The ad-supported version of AMC+ will cozy up with a variety of other streaming services that offer discounted “with ads” tiers.
Max debuted HBO Max “With Ads” (back when it was still called “HBO Max”) more than two years ago. Netflix finally went the ad-supported way in November 2022, while Disney+ teed up its own ad-supported tier a month later.
Most recently, Amazon announced that it will begin serving “limited advertisements” on Prime Video in “early” 2024, and that an ad-free version of Prime Video will cost an extra $2.99 a month for Prime subscribers in the US.
Apple hasn’t announced a “with ads” version of Apple TV+ quite yet, but there are plenty of hints from Cupertino that a cheaper, ad-supported tier of Apple’s streaming service could be on the way.
Updated on September 29, 2023 with pricing details for the ad-supported version of AMC+, which was first announced in April.
Author: Ben Patterson, Senior Writer
Ben has been writing about technology and consumer electronics for more than 20 years. A PCWorld contributor since 2014, Ben joined TechHive in 2019, where he covers smart speakers, soundbars, and other smart and home-theater devices. You can follow Ben on Twitter.