It might surprise you to learn that The Walking Dead is still more relevant than ever in 2026. That's a testament to the enduring appeal of the franchise and it's pretty ironic given that that a story about the dead itself simply won't die. But the TWD Universe continues to have life.
The franchise lives on in two ways. First of all, the original series continues to find popularity via streaming service deals around the world that ensures it remains on TV screens each and every year (with the US and the UK, in particular, hosting it on major streamers). And secondly, the TWD Universe has launched spinoff sequels that continue the stories of multiple main characters as they take on new challenges.
Speaking of fans in the UK, AMC has ensured that they will have plenty of TWD content to enjoy for a long time to come. Better yet, it's for free!
AMC announces free new channel in the UK devoted solely to two Walking Dead shows
AMC has surprised UK fans of the Walking Dead franchise as it is officially launching a new free TV channel in the United Kingdom devoted solely to the TWD Universe. The announcement came at SXSW London and it confirms that the FAST channel will allow audiences to watch The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead for free.
The original series is one of the biggest TV shows of all time, running for an incredible 11 seasons between 2010 and 2022. Fear was the first of the currently-six spinoffs and it also enjoyed a long and successful run, debuting as a prequel in 2015 and concluding eight seasons later in 2023 as a companion series.
FAST channels - or Free Ad-Supported Television channels - were originally more of a niche concept but, in this brand new era of streaming and cable, they are quickly taking over. In an era of streaming, it helps to be a streamer - and when you have incredibly popular content like The Walking Dead franchise to offer for free, you know you can reel people in.
AMC Global Media had only good things to say about the launch, with manging director and EVP Tom Keaveney saying that they are "making great storytelling free to watch and easier to find."
“The Walking Dead Universe has one of the most passionate fanbases in television, and FAST lets us open that world up to everyone... Launching this channel reflects our broader strategy to meet viewers wherever they are with access to premium content across free, ad-supported environments."
This will mark another home for a major portion of the TWD Universe on UK TV screens as the franchise continues to enjoy success as a global property nearly two decades after its official launch. Sky currently holds the linear TV broadcast rights to almost the whole franchise (with the only exception being World Beyond), with all episodes available on-demand as well as Sky's streaming partner NOW TV. The original show is also available in its entirety on Disney Plus as well as Prime Video.
The big difference, of course, is that this is the first time that the whole series - along with Fear - will be available to watch for free. AMC has already launched five FAST Channels in the UK (AMC Reality, AMC Cupid, Bloodline Detectives, Evidence of Evil and Love After Lockup), but none specifically focused on the TWD franchise. Considering how popular the franchise remains on streaming platforms around the world, we can only imagine how well a free streamer hosting those shows would perform. So, yeah, the lack of one seemed like an oversight, and now that oversight has been corrected.
The FAST Channel is expected to launch very soon across multiple UK and Ireland FAST platforms. Right now, it will feature just The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead - which is combined 19 seasons and 290 episodes! - but it wouldn't be surprising if the streamer added other TWD spinoffs to the platform at some point down the line.
While The Walking Dead, Fear, and fellow spinoffs Tales of the Walking Dead and World Beyond all featured as the initial wave of the franchise, newer offshoots Daryl Dixon, Dead City, and miniseries The Ones Who Live have all told the next chapter of the ongoing TWD Universe story. The hope is that even more will come after that.
Add us as a preferred source on Google