JamesG
05-09-2026, 07:20 AM
"The Walking Dead" Rights Near Sale; AMC Global Angling for Co-Exclusive, but CEO Kristin Dolan Says “Large and Enthusiastic” Players in Mix
by Dade Hayes
May 8, 2026
AMC Global Media is nearing a deal for the next round of rights to "The Walking Dead", with the company looking to keep a share of the action and several large players in pursuit.
The flagship iteration of the franchise, a cornerstone for the company, had its finale in 2022. It remains popular on streaming and spawned multiple spinoffs.
“We’ve been really excited about the inbound for discussion on the licensing rights for The Walking Dead,” CEO Kristin Dolan told Wall Street analysts during the company’s first-quarter earnings call Friday.
“We’re really looking at every scenario. There’s a variety of ways to look at it. We definitely feel it’s important to keep some of the content for ourselves co-exclusively, so we’re emphasizing the fact that we’re looking predominantly a co-exclusive deals, but there are some very large and enthusiastic partners in the bidding process right now. So, we’re really looking at any variety of constructs, but the key thing for us is co-exclusivity.”
Asked whether the company would do a comprehensive deal with one partner or try to break the rights into smaller pieces, perhaps in individual global territories, Dolan said all options remain on the table.
“We may chunk it up, may all go to one partner, domestic versus international. There’s many, many ways to skin this cat,” she said.
Kim Kelleher, AMC Global Media‘s president and chief commercial officer, said more factors than just financial payments come into play with the company’s licensing deals.
“Of course we consider the customer experience and discoverability when we’re looking for what our co-exclusive partnerships are going to be going forward. We have several partners around the world for The Walking Dead right now, and we’re engaged with all of them about the future.”
Results from the anticipated "The Walking Dead" licensing deal are not factored into the company’s forecast for operating income in 2026, executives said on the call.
https://deadline.com/2026/05/the-walking-dead-rights-amc-global-1236887691/
by Dade Hayes
May 8, 2026
AMC Global Media is nearing a deal for the next round of rights to "The Walking Dead", with the company looking to keep a share of the action and several large players in pursuit.
The flagship iteration of the franchise, a cornerstone for the company, had its finale in 2022. It remains popular on streaming and spawned multiple spinoffs.
“We’ve been really excited about the inbound for discussion on the licensing rights for The Walking Dead,” CEO Kristin Dolan told Wall Street analysts during the company’s first-quarter earnings call Friday.
“We’re really looking at every scenario. There’s a variety of ways to look at it. We definitely feel it’s important to keep some of the content for ourselves co-exclusively, so we’re emphasizing the fact that we’re looking predominantly a co-exclusive deals, but there are some very large and enthusiastic partners in the bidding process right now. So, we’re really looking at any variety of constructs, but the key thing for us is co-exclusivity.”
Asked whether the company would do a comprehensive deal with one partner or try to break the rights into smaller pieces, perhaps in individual global territories, Dolan said all options remain on the table.
“We may chunk it up, may all go to one partner, domestic versus international. There’s many, many ways to skin this cat,” she said.
Kim Kelleher, AMC Global Media‘s president and chief commercial officer, said more factors than just financial payments come into play with the company’s licensing deals.
“Of course we consider the customer experience and discoverability when we’re looking for what our co-exclusive partnerships are going to be going forward. We have several partners around the world for The Walking Dead right now, and we’re engaged with all of them about the future.”
Results from the anticipated "The Walking Dead" licensing deal are not factored into the company’s forecast for operating income in 2026, executives said on the call.
https://deadline.com/2026/05/the-walking-dead-rights-amc-global-1236887691/