AMC Networks Tops 6M Streaming Subs, Targets up to 25M by 2025

Joe Otterson TV ReporterLena Headey will star in and executive produce the Spectrum-AMC Networks series “Beacon 23,” which hails from Zak Penn, Variety has learned.The series is described as a sci-fi psychological thriller. It follows two people whose fates become entangled after they find themselves trapped together at the end of the known universe.

Former Game of Thrones star Lena Headey has been tapped as the female lead in Beacon 23, Spectrum Originals and AMC Networks’ psychological thriller series based on the book of the same name by bestselling author Hugh Howey. Headey will also executive produce through her production company, Peephole Productions, as part of her first-look deal Boat Rocker Studios, which co-produces Beacon 23 with Spectrum Originals.

AMC Networks and Alliance of Women Directors have partnered to launch High-Octane Episodic Directing Series, a program of five master classes centered on directing actions and thriller content in scripted television.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterMichelle Selene Ang has signed with Buchwald, Variety has learned exclusively.Ang is best known for her role on the popular Netflix series “13 Reasons Why.” During her time on the show, she played the role of Courtney Crimsen, who is one of the titular reasons that Hannah (Katherine Langford) commits suicide in Season 1 after Courtney spreads lies about her around their school.

U.K. TV giant ITV reported an 11 percent drop in advertising revenue for 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday, but said it made good on its forecast of returning to a slight advertising improvement in the fourth quarter, compared with the year-ago period.

[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaIt was a very rough year for AMC Entertainment, the world’s largest theater chain. Its theaters were dark for months as coronavirus spread around the world, and when some cities and states gave the green light for its cinemas to open back up, Hollywood opted to delay many of its highest profile releases or send them to streaming services.

A+E Networks is sending a message to ad buyers during its upfront Wednesday: It still believes in TV.And it still thinks linear television is a wise investment for marketers and brands. “We believe in original content, we believe in our brands, we believe in TV,” A+E Networks president of ad sales Peter Olsen tells The Hollywood Reporter in an interview.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorIn a world focused on streaming, A+E Networks isn’t turning off the traditional TV.The company, jointly owned by Walt Disney Co. and Hearst, is placing emphasis on original TV series aimed first at linear TV, with a vow to increase original hour of programming by 50%.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorE.W.

Haley Bosselman editorMarch honors the trailblazing women of history, and television is joining in by highlighting their triumphs and life stories.Each day of March, MSG Networks will showcase a legendary woman in sports, including the University of Hawaii’s historic volleyball team from the early ‘70s and tennis icon Billie Jean King, for example, while Syfy is airing a series of autobiographical video shorts about female animators.HBO Max, meanwhile, will debut a limited series about

Adding to its multicast network portfolio, the E.W. Scripps Co. is launching two channel offerings focused on reality TV.

Showbiz shares sparkled Monday starting off March with a major market rally around reopening, another vaccine rollout, a stimulus bill and a combo of upbeat earnings and streaming forecasts.

The past year has been tough on so many people. In the US alone (the rest of the world has been in a similar situation, of course), more than 500,000 people have died, businesses have been shut down (with many never reopening), and millions have lost their jobs, all the result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the country’s response to the deadly virus.

Donald Trump returned to the spotlight on Sunday with a speech before the Conservative Political Action Conference, but the news networks took different approaches to how they covered the event.

AMC Networks chief operating officer Ed Carroll said Friday popular series Better Call Saul will likely return in the first quarter of 2022 after Covid-19 delays.

AMC Networks ended 2020 with more than 6 million subscribers for its AMC Networks streaming services across recently launched AMC+, Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now and ALLBLK– up 157% year-on-year.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorAMC Networks said it swung to a profit in the fourth quarter despite a decline in revenue as it narrowed losses in its international and other operations due to an increase in revenue from streaming-video subscriptions.The owner of the AMC, Sundance and IFC cable networks said net income came to $2.09 cents a share, or $94.7 million, compared with a loss of 15 cents a share, or $8.58 million in the year-earlier period.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeNBC’s “Young Rock” premiered recently to a 1.0 rating in the adults 18 to 49 demographic — which sounds awful but in 2021 qualifies as a tremendous debut. In an age when almost everything does between 0.4 and 0.8 in fast national Nielsen ratings, we’ve truly gotten to the point where live+ same day or even live+3 day and live+7 day numbers don’t mean anything anymore.