AMC Networks Pushes Digital Originals in Upfront to Grab Ad Dollars Leaving Linear TV

As she heads into this year’s upfront, AMC Networks president of commercial revenue and partnerships Kim Kelleher sees the writing on the wall: linear ratings are falling, a trend that has been supercharged by the pandemic, and that trend isn’t likely to stabilize or reverse. As a result, “the industry is at a bit of a tipping point,” with holding companies ready to shift some of their linear TV advertising budget elsewhere, said Kelleher. Instead, she will be pushing an alternative for buyers: move that money into her company’s digital originals, which she will be bringing into the upfront for the first time. “I want to be able to say, 'It doesn't have to be so traumatic; you're going to shift them into our digital channels, which are still an expression of the kind of quality content and controlled, brand-safe environment that you have come to expect out of television,'” said Kelleher. Seven custom upfront events The digital originals, which are created by the company’s branded content studio The Content Room and also sold through its AMCN Digital Offering, will be a major focus of AMC Networks’ upfront push. The company will be holding seven custom events for various holding companies the week of April 5. It’s a different approach from AMC's competitors, many of which opted to return to their standard positions on the upfront calendar and hold a single virtual event for all marketers. But following a year of pandemic disruption, “the market has gotten more fragmented, more complex,” said Kelleher, adding that a “one-size-fits-all” approach “feels completely out of touch for this upfront.” Last year’s remote upfront ended up reaching far more than the 700 people AMC Networks had planned to host at its in-person event. The company has lined up more than 2,000 registrants for this year’s virtual presentations, representing its largest upfront kickoff ever. “Zoom fatigue is a very real thing,” said Kim Granito, evp of integrated marketing and the Content Room, an observation echoed yesterday by Nickelodeon chief Brian Robbins. “So we’ve custom-tailored each of these in a way that is very specific to their individual businesses.” Each presentation will kick off with a discussion over cocktails between Kelleher, the group leads and Fear the Walking Dead star Colman Domingo. Domingo’s digital series Bottomless Brunch at Colman’s laid the groundwork for the kind of success the company hopes to replicate with its upcoming digital originals. Bottomless Brunch evolved from a digital short in the early days of quarantine to an ongoing series available on multiple platforms, including YouTube, IGTV, the company’s AMC+ streaming service, the SundanceTV linear network and as a podcast. “What we’re seeing is, great storytelling can be built for one platform, and then sometimes it translates,” Kelleher said. The company is bringing its digital originals to the upfront for the first time because “the pot that holds traditional linear dollars is not as large anymore, but there are really creative ways to integrate your brand,” said Kelleher, who will be aggressively approaching digital integrations along the lines of Diageo’s involvement in Bottomless Brunch at Colman’s. Digital originals slate New digital projects in development for AMC Networks include a third season of the Better Call Saul Employee Training series and an animated Saul prequel, Slippin’ Jimmy that will be “shot in the vintage style of Fat Albert,” said Granito. Another project, Dead in the Water, ties into Season 6 of Fear the Walking Dead and tells the story of a submarine crew fighting for survival as the apocalypse hits. And Cooper’s Bar, which centers a man who runs a tiki bar out of his L.A. backyard On the heels of last year’s platform partnerships with Twitch and Reddit, the company is teaming with Complex Networks’ First We Feast food brand to create a new original series Run the Dish. It will feature apocalypse-inspired dishes with simple ingredients from Complex’s celebrity chefs and Walking Dead talent. Meeting audiences wherever they are This year, AMC Networks will continue with its dual “viewers first” and “buyers first” strategies emphasized in last year’s upfront: telling great stories that command attention and meet audiences wherever they are, while also creating as many ways to clients to reach their audiences as possible, on all platforms. That includes several free, ad-supported streaming services and both of the major audience targeting platforms, Xandr Invest and OpenAP. Along with its virtual upfront meetings, the company is debuting Upfront Connect 2.0, an upgraded version of last year’s online sales hub, which was rolled out quickly last spring as the company shifted gears to a remote upfront. It includes screeners of current and upcoming AMC Networks programming and access to the Content Room. Upfront Connect 2.0 features access to the branded content studio, the Content Room. The tool includes an individual dashboard for each client, with available opportunities updated in real time. Addressable advancements AMC Networks will be expanding its addressable advertising offering in the upfront, after recently completing its first national linear addressable campaigns with Omnicom. In the past year, “we’ve figured out how to do it,” said Evan Adlman, svp of advanced advertising and digital partnerships. Now, the company’s goal is to make 100% of its linear, VOD and digital inventory addressable. “We know where the market’s going to be in four to five years. We want to make sure that we are ready and we build for it now, versus waiting for programmatic to become a household name in TV and video,” said Adlman. Scripted strategy While the company is spotlighting its digital originals in this upfront, that doesn’t mean it won’t also be touting its linear slate. Next year is shaping up to be a big year for farewells at AMC Networks, which will see the departure of three signature series: The Walking Dead, Better Call Saul and Killing Eve. But Kelleher is bringing 40 original shows to the market in this upfront to take their place. That includes a few series announced during last year’s upfront but delayed due to the pandemic, like Pantheon, an animated drama in which human consciousness is uploaded to the cloud, and Kevin Can F**k Himself, starring Schitt’s Creek’s Annie Murphy as a typical sitcom wife who takes the lead in her own life. There’s also Ragdoll, a London crime thriller starring Lucy Hale, and Beacon 23, a thriller starring Lena Headley. The company is also developing shows around 18 of Anne Rice’s major literary works, including Interview With a Vampire. AMC Networks, Omnicom Complete First National Linear Addressable Campaigns