A NASCAR series starring Dennis Quaid, a new sports docuseries about the New Orleans Saints, a potential series based on the Bannerman novels and an update on the Point Break TV series are all on the menu from AMC Global Media, in the company’s first upfront presentation under its new brand name.
The company hosted its upfront in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood Wednesday, gathering advertisers, media buyers, distribution partners and many of the company’s stars in one room.
And it had programming news to share as well, including a further push into sports-adjacent programming with a scripted family drama series called Thunder Road starring Dennis Quaid, set in the world of NASCAR, and a new installment of its Rise docuseries focused on the New Orleans Saints.
AMC launched its first Rise series, about the San Francisco 49ers, earlier this year. The company also picked up TNA wrestling rights. Dan McDermott, chief content officer of AMC Global Media and president of AMC Studios, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the upfront, says that the company is not going to be bidding for the NBA or NFL, but it still wants to find a space to play in the sports genre, citing its efforts so far.
“They may seem a little bit disparate, but they’re all interconnected because they all service the three primary pillars of an AMC show, which is 1): A ‘lightning in a bottle’ character that you can put on a poster and everybody knows. That’s Don Draper, that’s Walter White, that’s Eve Villanelle, Rick Grimes, that’s Duncan Park. That’s Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice. And in Thunder Road, that’s Dennis Quaid, who plays Duayne Whitlock,” says McDermott.
The exec adds, “The second is that our shows take people, take the audience, into a unique world or subculture that they haven’t seen before … And then the third pillar is that, yes, we want to be entertaining and fun, but we don’t want to be disposable entertainment. We want our shows to say something about the world we live in, to have resonant thematics and ideas and ideology that really provides ballast and import to the shows. I think you can see that going all the way back to Mad Men.”
“Sports is the great uniter during big periods of divide. And I don’t think now is any different than it was in the 60s, when Sports Illustrated was launched, or even before, like when you’re coming through a period of huge strife and divide, and what we’re all living through now, sports is a moment that brings everyone back together,” adds Kim Kelleher, president and chief commercial officer for AMC Global Media. “And I feel like there’s the storytelling of sports, which is our entry. Dan is right, we’re not going to bid for NFL rights, but we can tell the story behind the greats. I think that we’re on to something very exciting here.”
Thunder Road will debut next year, as will Rise of the Saints.
Of course, AMC is not shying away from its bread and butter scripted dramas either. The company announced the development of a series based on the Bannerman spy novels by bestselling author John Maxim.
Filmmaker Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Iron Man 2) is attached to direct and executive produce with Craig Silverstein attached as creator and showrunner. The novels follow a charismatic former CIA spy named John Bannerman who is reluctantly pulled back into that world.
“It’s a crime story, but it’s really character-centric, and it’s funny as well as dramatic,” McDermott says of the concept. “We know that audiences love these kinds of stories.”
And he said that the Point Break series could debut as soon as 2027.
“We’re pushing really fast on Point Break,” he says. “We’ve got a great script. We’re hoping to be in production, let’s call it end of this year, top of next year in Australia, which is their summer.”
AMC changed its name from AMC Networks to AMC Global Media earlier this year, in recognition of the fact that the linear TV channels are less central to its strategy, given its move to lean into its niche streaming offerings, and its willingness to sell programming to others.
The company is rolling out a new ad option based on a user’s first first stream of a show, the first time they will sit down and watch.
“A premiere is the first time somebody sits down to watch something,” says Evan Adlman, executive VP of commercial sales and revenue operations for AMC Global Media. “The user’s, the viewer’s, attention and engagement in the program is at its highest when they first start watching it.”
“From a viewer standpoint, we just want it to be seamless, we just want them to see the great shows the studios are putting out and we’ve shouldered that for a number of years, and I feel like in today’s fragmented market, that now is the benefit we’re seeing,” Kelleher adds. “I think marketers are becoming more sophisticated, and they want that first stream, but they want it everywhere. So they don’t just want it in a linear environment or a digital-only environment or a CTV-only environment, like they want that first stream everywhere. How do I actually own that premiere?”
The company also had some other news to share, including the launch of an AMC+ app for the Meta Quest headset, and an expanded partnership with the Sphere in Las Vegas (which shares common ownership with AMC in the Dolan family). The Sphere partnership will once again see AMC branding (and partner branding) on the Sphere’s exosphere around Halloween, and this year around the holidays as well.
The company is also planning an event for June at New York’s Beacon Theater called The Vampire Lestat: One Night Only – LIVE, which will include a live performance from actor Sam Reid as Lestat, and a screening of the premiere episode.
“I think this audience is more passionate than any we have across the portfolio,” says AMC Global Media CMO Kim Granito. “So this entire campaign, and especially the Beacon event, is a give back to the fans. We’re doing it for them.”