AMC buys BBC America stake

AMC Networks has paid US$200m for a 49.9% stake in BBC America, the US cable network owned and operated by BBC Worldwide (BBCWW) that airs Doctor Who and Orphan Black.

Top Gear

The deal, which has been in the works for several months, will give AMC operational control of the channel, including affiliate and advertising sales, and see the two broadcasters working together on new shows.

AMC will run the channel as a standalone entity “consistent with the BBC’s editorial standards and policies,” it said, and include the results of the joint venture in its financial statements.

BBC America’s general manager Perry Simon will leave the channel but is set to remain at BBCWW in an as-yet undetermined new role, with a successor being sought at the channel.

BBC America is available in almost 80 million homes in the US, with programming ranging from dramas such as Luther and Broadchurch, to fact ent show Top Gear and a slew of blue-chip natural history series.

AMC and the BBC previously collaborated on dramas Top of the Lake and The Honourable Woman and are currently working on the upcoming series One Child.

The agreement, a long-term equity joint venture, will see the US-based broadcaster operate the channel alongside its existing networks, which include flagship AMC, IFC, WEtv and SundanceTV.

Josh Sapan

Josh Sapan, AMC Networks president and CEO, said the combined AMC Networks/BBC America channel group would “create a powerful collection of networks that are among the most critically acclaimed, with distinct dramas and other potent content that creates a deep connection with viewers.”

Tony Hall, BBC director general and chairman of BBCWW, added that the agreement would enable the BBC to reach new US audiences and create opportunities for the UK production industry through new coproduced shows.

The agreement has been approved by the BBC’s regulatory body, the BBC Trust, and will also provide both BBC America and AMC with more leverage when negotiating carriage fees, while AMC will also look after ad sales for BBC World News.

BBCWW North America will continue as a wholly owned regional business within BBCWW, focusing on programme and format sales and coproduction relationships, scripted and unscripted production, consumer products, digital and live events.

The deal continues the expansion strategy of AMC, which last year paid US$1bn to Liberty Global for its international channels and content business Chellomedia.

It is also prepping the roll-out its flagship channel, home to The Walking Dead, Mad Men and Breaking Bad, outside of North America for the first time later this year. The deal also marks the latest example of consolidation among US pay TV operators, with Comcast set to acquire Time Warner Cable and AT&T’s move for DirecTV.