‘The Walking Dead’ Season 8 To Air Ad-Free On New AMC Channel

The Walking Dead Season 8 will be getting a major upgrade once AMC rolls out its new cable plans. For those of you that have been frustrated with the heavy presence of commercials throughout the TWD episodes in recent seasons of the show, be prepared for ad-free Walking Dead TV, at a price of course.

In a new report on Variety, it appears as though AMC has been able to use the popularity of The Walking Dead as a springboard for its new business venture within the cable market, at least the way it’s currently proposed to become a premium cable channel.

Premium TV is something that cable subscribers have used now for decades with networks like HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, and Starz. AMC is now looking to add their networks to the mix with premium content like The Walking Dead on cable and satellite, which could also be featured on streaming as well.

The content that AMC has pumped out over the past decade can back up their ambitions as well with shows like Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, The Walking Dead, Fear The Walking Dead, Halt and Catch Fire, Badlands, and many others. Most of their content has been welcomed with critical acclaim, but The Walking Dead gave them the commercial means to cement their name into a ratings powerhouse.

“I thought I lost you.” #TWD pic.twitter.com/z3wo6JA5A7

— The Walking Dead AMC (@WalkingDead_AMC) June 23, 2017

Now, with AMC’s current ambitions to go completely premium for their viewers, they have not made any efforts to make it a purely streaming network, instead opting for premium cable and satellite operations by offering subscribers an add-on subscription to the AMC channel, much like HBO does.

The current proposal for AMC to go premium is to charge fans of The Walking Dead $5 a month, which is an add-on to your cable subscription. Although this is the goal of AMC for all cable providers, as of this time it is rolling out on a “soft launch” with Comcast to its Xfinity customers.

Charlie Collier, president of AMC, AMC Studios, and SundanceTV, released a statement on the new business venture for its domestic subscribers.

“With AMC’s engagement at an all-time high, developing more options for viewers to connect with our content is a priority,” Collier said in his statement. “Tens of millions of existing viewers watch our shows through the cable ecosystem, so partnering with Comcast gives us a great opportunity to launch this new idea at scale.”

We all know you want Caryl to happen, but what other scenarios would you like to see in #TheWalkingDead? pic.twitter.com/XmoUaw4yli

— The Walking Dead (@TheWalkingDead) June 29, 2017

Although fans of The Walking Dead are anxiously awaiting Season 8 this fall on AMC, it is unclear if Comcast subscribers will have to shell out the extra $5 to watch it. But in order to watch The Walking Dead Season 8 ad-free, there is no doubt that you will have to pay the toll.

[Featured Image by AMC]