IRVINE, Calif.—Vizio has launched a new bundled app on its TV that gives viewers access to the vast selection of movies and TV shows in the Starz and AMC+ libraries for $13.99 a month, a significant discount from the $20.98 per month it would cost to subscribe to the two services separately.

“We are thrilled to offer the incredible entertainment from AMC+ and Starz at an amazing price with this subscription bundle,” Katherine Pond, group vice president of platform content and partnerships at Vizio, said. “Our team is driven by a passion to deliver value for customers, and offering this type of benefit with a Vizio Account is one more way we do that.”

To take advantage of the new app bundle, customers can click on the Apps menu item from the left-hand navigation on their Vizio TV and then select the “Bundles” tab. After they’ve completed the subscription process, customers can view and manage all their subscriptions in one convenient location within Vizio Account.

“We’re excited to partner with Vizio to provide high-quality, bold programming at exceptional value,” Starz Networks President Alison Hoffman said. “Our slate of hit originals targeting women and underrepresented audiences and expansive collection of movies make Starz an ideal complement to any bundle offering. Bundles like this elevate the streaming experience for customers and enable us to broaden our reach across connected devices.”

For more information, visit Vizio.com.

NEW YORK, N.Y. and SAN JOSE, Calif.—AMC Networks and Roku has announced the launch of the ad-supported version of the AMC+ service through The Roku Channel. 

The launch means that Roku users can now subscribe to both the ad-free and ad-supported tiers of the service through Premium Subscriptions on The Roku Channel.

AMC+ features an extensive lineup of premium content from the AMC, BBC America, IFC, and Sundance TV networks, as well as the Shudder, Sundance Now, and IFC Films Unlimited targeted streaming services. 

Priced at $4.99 per month, the ad-supported version includes all the same series and films that are offered on the ad-free version. Ad-free plans will remain available at the current pricing of $8.99 per month or $83.99 through the annual plan. Eligible users can participate in a seven-day free trial of either AMC+ plan option. 

Premium Subscriptions on The Roku Channel are available for over 55 streaming services in the U.S. 

NEW YORK & STAMFORD, Conn.—AMC Networks and Charter Communications have announced they have agreed to an early renewal of their distribution agreement that will allow Charter to carry AMC Networks' portfolio of linear cable networks for multiple years to come. 

As part of Charter's strategy of including programmer streaming apps in the cable bundle to enhance the value proposition, the ad-supported version of AMC Networks' direct-to-consumer streaming service AMC+ will also be included at no additional cost to Charter's Spectrum TV Select customers. 

Additionally, Charter will make AMC+ available for purchase to its millions of Internet-only customers. 

"This agreement with AMC Networks supports our goal of enhancing the value and variety of premium entertainment content available to our customers," said Tom Montemagno, executive vice president, programming acquisition for Charter, which operates the Spectrum brand of video and connectivity services. "The addition of AMC+ at no extra cost for our TV Select customers builds on our new distribution framework, which this year alone has included the addition of Paramount+ Essential, ViX Premium with Ads, Disney+ and ESPN+. We appreciate AMC Networks' partnership in reaching a distribution agreement that benefits our mutual customers and helps transform the video industry." 

With the agreement, Spectrum video customers will continue to enjoy access to AMC Networks' cable portfolio, including AMC, BBC America, IFC, SundanceTV and We TV. 

With the addition of AMC+, Charter, through its programming deals, will be providing its Spectrum TV Select Plus customers more than $40/month in retail value for streaming apps, and over $30/month in retail value for Spectrum TV Select/Select Signature customers, the pay TV operator said.

AMC+ is a premium streaming bundle featuring world-class originals, award-winning series and exclusive movies. The service includes same-day access to all original AMC series and full access to Shudder, Sundance Now and IFC Films Unlimited.

"This early, multi-year agreement between Charter and AMC Networks ensures Spectrum TV customers will continue to have access to our high-quality original programming however they prefer to watch it, including through the ad-supported version of AMC+," said Kim Kelleher, chief commercial officer of AMC Networks. "Charter has been a long-time partner, and this agreement reflects our strong and mutually beneficial relationship and commitment to viewers." 

NEW YORK—AMC Networks has announced an October launch for the ad-supported version of its streaming service AMC+ along with Q1 2023 financial results that showed its streaming subscribers declined from 11.8 million in Q4, 2022 to 11.5 million in Q1, 2023. 

Streaming revenue was, however, up 29% year over year, primarily driven by year-over-year streaming subscriber growth and 2022 price increases and streaming subscribers grew 22% from Q1 2022 to March 31, 2023. 

In the Q1 2023 earnings call CEO Kristin Dolan stressed the company’s strategy of making “our content available across the entire distribution ecosystem.”

“As the models of content monetization continue to evolve, another advantage we have is a broad distribution footprint that spans linear television networks, our own digital and streaming platforms, and third-party CTV or fast platforms,” Dolan said. “With the addition of an ad-supported tier of our flagship AMC+ streaming service later this year, our entire distribution ecosystem will be ad-supported, providing us with important new opportunities to drive revenue and grow our business.”

Dolan declined to discuss pricing or content for the ad-supported tier, which was announced at the company’s upfronts, but said: “We're looking at an October launch for that tier. We see it as a great opportunity to continue to super serve and expand our audiences, give more choice to consumers, and obviously provide a more holistic and robust advertising solution for our current and future advertisers.”

Along with the mixed streaming results, AMC announced that advertising revenues decreased 20% to $161 million due to anticipated linear ratings declines, softness in the advertising market and fewer original programming episodes within the quarter, partly offset by digital and advanced advertising revenue growth.

IRVINE, Calif.—Vizio and AMC Networks have inked a deal that will expand AMC’s channels on Vizio smart TV by adding the AMC+ app, nine free streaming channels and over 150 on-demand feature films to Vizio’s free streaming service, WatchFree+.

New AMC Networks’ channels include Portlandia, MSG Sports Zone, AMC en Espanol, Allblk Gems and Overtime along with more than 150 AMC on demand feature films.

The new agreement builds on AMC’s free streaming channels already available on Vizio’s WatchFree+ streaming service, including All Reality WE tv, AMC Thrillers, IFC Films Picks and The Walking Dead Universe.

Vizio users who subscribe to the AMC+ premium subscription service can enjoy popular series titles from AMC’s award-winning library like “Dark Winds”, “Gangs of London”, “Happy Valley” and the recent premiere of “Lucky Hank”. 

“AMC and Vizio have been working together for several years to bring audiences the best in entertainment. The expansion of our partnership is based on user engagement with existing FAST and AVOD AMC programming as well as viewer response to the recent addition of AMC+ to our premium app library,” says Katherine Pond, group vice president, platform content and partnerships at Vizio. “Our expanded agreement means Vizio users can access an even wider range of AMC’s library of critically acclaimed original titles - enjoying more of what they love, all in one place.”

Currently Vizio users can easily subscribe to AMC+ from the Vizio home screen. In the coming months, users will be able to subscribe using their Vizio Account, a feature that allows users to manage subscriptions and redeem special offers in one place.

"This is an exciting expansion of our relationship with Vizio, which will make even more of our acclaimed and popular programming available to Vizio audiences including, for the first time, the addition of nine of our curated FAST channels," said Kim Kelleher, chief commercial officer of AMC Networks. "As we continue to build a new programming universe and franchise around the iconic works of Anne Rice, and bring exciting new stories from the world of The Walking Dead and other new original series to millions of passionate fans, we value our partnership with Vizio to connect our high-quality and popular original programming with viewers as part of our robust and growing distribution ecosystem."

BOSTON—Former AMC executive David Beck has been appointed Chief Strategy and Corporate Development Officer for Brightcove, a provider of intelligent video streaming, monetization, and communications. In his new position, he will lead strategy, business development, and corporate development for the company.

Working closely with recently appointed CEO, Marc DeBevoise, Beck will be focused on developing strategies that enhance current offerings and create opportunities to expand Brightcove’s existing businesses. His broad remit will also focus on enabling Brightcove to expand into new markets and lines of business utilizing its market-leading software platform.

“We are excited to bolster our executive team with the appointment of David Beck as Chief Strategy and Corporate Development Officer. David is an exceptional strategist and operator with deep industry experience and a proven track record of architecting innovative strategies and initiatives for world-class companies and brands,” said Marc DeBevoise, Brightcove's Chief Executive Officer. “I’m excited to get to work with David and have him help us realize our vision and crystalize our continued growth strategy.”

Beck brings two decades of experience in strategy, operations, and business development at elite digital brands, most recently having served as the Executive Vice President, Head of Content Strategy and Business Operations at AMC. At AMC, Beck led the strategy to accelerate AMC’s streaming business model transformation, including its integrated Linear, SVOD (AMC+), and AVOD/FAST services and partnerships for B2B and DTC distribution. He also drove the modernization of its core operations across AMC, BBC America, Sundance TV, IFC, and WE TV. Prior to his time at AMC, David served as the EVP, Corporate Strategy & Operations at WarnerMedia, and Chief Strategy Officer of TNT & TBS. He is also the co-founder of advisory and investment firm BRAVE Ventures, acquired by Turner (now Warner Bros. Discovery).

“Brightcove is an innovator and trailblazer in the video communications space, and I’m both energized and honored to join the company at such an exciting time,” said Beck. “With a new CEO developing a focused vision, a fantastic team with building enthusiasm and ready to act, and a best in class technology platform to build on, I am incredibly excited to go after the opportunities ahead of us.”

LEICESTER, U.K.—In capturing “Kevin Can F**k Himself,” which began airing this week on AMC, cinematographer Adrian Peng Correia relied on Cooke Optics S7/i Full Frame prime lenses.

The series is the story about a woman playing a perfect housewife in a sitcom that moves back and forth from her own point of view to the surreal world of the 4-camera sitcom world as she decides she is going to kill her husband. 

“This story is from the perspective of the wife, Annie [Murphy’s] character, and how she sees the world,” said Correia. “She sees her world in two ways — and from a visual standpoint, they are very specific: her reality and in the world of a multicam sitcom.”

Season one’s 8-episodes feature cutaways from reality, but viewers never truly leave the multicam sitcom world, with cutaways that range from 40 to 60 percent of each episode. “With viewers jumping in and out of reality, we needed reality to have a very specific look, that’s why I went with the Cooke S7/i lenses,” said Correia. “It was an opportunity as a cinematographer to really take off and have a voice,”.

That voice started during pre-production, with Steven Porter, supervising colorist at MTI Film who worked with Correia to create LUTs for both worlds. Reality would be desaturated in the camera and further tweaked in post. The sitcom world would be bright and colorful, much as it is portraited in most sitcoms.

“I was brought in as a replacement DP, primarily due to Covid having shut everything down and the original DP no longer being available,” said Correia. “Some work had been done for the sitcom look pre-COVID, but we ended up redesigning most of the lighting layout.   I really like to know as much as I can about the look before starting photography, because in our new world, you never know what can happen. That’s why having those LUTs was imperative. Plus, I had never done a multicam sitcom look before.”

To help get as knowledgeable as possible about lighting and shooting a sitcom, Correia reached out to friend and former `Will & Grace’ DP cinematographer Gary Baum, ASC and ‘Bob Hearts Abishola’ DP Patti Lee, ASC. “I got as many pointers and ideas as I could to arm myself,” said Correia.

For the single camera reality world, Correia came into the project with specific looks already determined during pre-production. “They wanted to do a more grounded, gritty look, but I was able to add my style of elevated naturalism, with more expressiveness in the lighting,” he explained. “The original plan for the single cam — actually two cameras for coverage — was to use the ARRI ALEXA Mini, but to use four Sony F55s for the sitcom. I wanted a similar imager to the sitcom cameras, so we went with Sony Venice cameras, with everything shot in 16x9.”

When it came to the lenses for the reality world, Correia knew exactly what he wanted and why. “I needed dimensionality to offset the photographically flat multicam sitcom world, especially for faces,” he said. “I absolutely love how the S7/i lenses render faces, especially having used them on “The Flight Attendant.” Those full frame lenses make performances pop, regardless of the performer. As an example, Kaley Cuoco’s character in “The Flight Attendant” has an outward and comedic personality, while Annie Murphy’s character here in “Kevin Can F**k Himself” goes on a psychologically fracturing journey that is more muted and insular, peppered with outbursts of absurdity and drama. The dimensionality of the S7/i lens peers into those nuances in her face.”

Correia’s Cooke S7/i kit consisted of the 18mm, 21mm, 25mm, 32mm, 40mm, 50mm, 65mm, 75mm, 100mm, and 135mm lenses. 

While the 21mm became Correia’s go to lens for wides, his close-up work used mainly the 25mm, 32mm and 40mm. He also favored the 65mm for very dramatic moments.

“One of the nicest things about Cooke lenses is the information that you can get from them, both on-set and having it be recorded for VFX and CGI work,” said Correia, referring to Cooke’s /i Technology lens metadata. “Today, you want more from a lens and that’s where Cooke delivers. Just by looking at the monitors, I know where my stops are instead of having to radio my assistants. You have more control where everything lands and a more streamlined workflow. All data is useful, even just the option is powerful to me, even if I don’t use everything—I can do my job better. Knowing a 2.8 is a 2.8 and understanding what my lenses are doing is invaluable.”

Cameras and lenses were provided by rental company PRG Gear. Both the reality and multicam sitcom worlds were shot south of Boston at Stalwart Productions, in an unassuming warehouse-looking studio in Randolph, MA.

WASHINGTON—Settlements have been reached between the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau and a TV broadcaster, cable networks and a radio broadcaster for misusing the Emergency Alert Systems and Wireless Emergency Alert tones. Combined fines of $600,000 in civil penalties were issued as a result of misuse by ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” Discovery’s “Lone Star Law” and Meruelo Radio Holdings’ KDAY and KDEY-FM morning radio shows.

ABC agreed to pay a $395,000 civil penalty for an Oct. 2018 episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” where it used a simulated WEA tone three times during a sketch. AMC paid $104,000 for an episode of “The Walking Dead” that aired in February 2019 and used the EAS tone twice. Discovery paid $68,000 for an episode of “Lone Star Law” that included an actual WEA tone that was captured while filming during Hurricane Harvey. Meruelo Radio Holdings paid $67,000 for a promotion of its two morning shows that included a simulation of EAS tones. All outlets admitted their errors and agreed to a compliance plan.

In addition to these finds, the Enforcement Bureau has released an Enforcement advisory to reiterate the existing law that speaks to the misuse of EAS tones and how it can be a public safety concern.

“We remain concerned about the misuse of the EAS codes and EAS and WEA Attention Signals, or simultaneous thereof, to capture audience attention during advertisements; dramatic, entertainment and educational programs; and at any other time that there is no genuine alert, authorized test or authorized PSA about the EAS or WEA that is accompanied by an appropriate disclaimer,” the advisory reads.