AMC to debut Olympics-themed The Walking Dead promos

GANGNEUNG, SOUTH KOREA - FEBRUARY 13: Kristin Skaslien of Norway looks on against Olympic Athletes from Russia during the Curling Mixed Doubles Bronze Medal Game on day four of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Gangneung Curling Centre on February 13, 2018 in Gangneung, South Korea. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
GANGNEUNG, SOUTH KOREA - FEBRUARY 13: Kristin Skaslien of Norway looks on against Olympic Athletes from Russia during the Curling Mixed Doubles Bronze Medal Game on day four of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Gangneung Curling Centre on February 13, 2018 in Gangneung, South Korea. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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The Walking Dead returns February 25, following the conclusion of the 2018 Winter Olympics. AMC pokes fun at the Olympics in a new series of promos.

Four years ago The Walking Dead (and many, many other cable and network shows) aired while the 2014 Sochi Olympics aired and it beat the Olympics coverage and the NBA All-Star Game in the key demographic. Times have changed. These days all of the major networks are airing repeats until the conclusion of the Olympic Games, but AMC knows that not everyone is watching curling right now.

What the heck is curling, anyway?

Mashable reports that AMC has a series of TV spots poking fun at the Olympics set to debut this week. With promos geared at curling, figure skating scoring and skiing, AMC provides a reminder that The Walking Dead is returning soon. You can see those promos on Mashable’s website.

There are many people who would argue that The Walking Dead would be torn apart by ratings if it premiered during the Olympics this time around.

Guess what: You’re absolutely right. And it has nothing to do with the show’s quality or current ratings.

Feelings about the show aside, the fact is that the Olympics have gained in popularity over the past few years. Curling is now a hot ticket even though most people have zero idea what’s going on. Social media has given a voice to the athletes who can now connect with their fans halfway across the world so people are following along and posting to social media as they watch.

Not only that, but the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang allow for main events like figure skating, hockey and snowboarding to air in the coveted primetime time slot in the United States. NBC’s coverage across multiple networks allows for live coverage instead of taped coverage (which has been the case in previous years) and so more people are tuning in to watch live. That would force people to choose between shows airing at 9pm ET or watching medal competitions live, and shows are more easily DVR’d than live sporting competitions.

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With those things in mind, there’s no way The Walking Dead could compete with the Olympics. That’s why major networks aren’t even trying to compete with the Olympics. It’s simply not worth it.

AMC’s new TV promos are set to premiere on February 13. The Walking Dead returns February 25.