The Walking Dead has been streaming on Netflix for 15 years, but the future of fans watching one of the best zombie series of all time on the streaming service has been called into question. And, that would be the absolute worst thing for the franchise moving forward.
During a recent AMC earnings call, AMC Networks CEO Kristin Dolan revealed that AMC gains control of the licensing rights to The Walking Dead in "less than a year." That means for the first time in a long time, The Walking Dead could be leaving Netflix.
Now, we don't know the specifics of the deal with Netflix and AMC, but we know that, for a long time, The Walking Dead was one of the most-watched shows on Netflix. Allowing fans to easily revisit and rewatch the full series on the world's biggest TV streaming platform is incredibly beneficial to The Walking Dead and its spinoffs.
The Walking Dead has already benefitted from its Netflix deal like many other shows
I don't know if there's a way to quantify just how important Netflix has been to TV and shows like The Walking Dead, but over the years, we've seen Netflix increase viewership and reach for a number of shows, including the early seasons of The Walking Dead.
The Walking Dead premiered on AMC on Oct. 31, 2010, and less than a year later, AMC and Netflix had a deal that would bring previous seasons of the series to Netflix after they aired on AMC. It allowed fans who fell behind, or those who had yet to visit the series, to have time to catch up before new seasons premiered.
There's no doubt in my mind that Netflix helped The Walking Dead become the show and ratings sensation it became. It was pulling more than 15 million viewers an episode for a stretch. That all changed in season 7, but the show always had a good following. Part of that is due to being available to viewers in ways other shows that weren't on Netflix were not.
We've seen so many shows benefit from simply being on Netflix and available, including Breaking Bad, Riverdale, Suits, and so many more.
AMC+ is never going to have the same reach as Netflix
AMC+ is a decent streaming service, but it has less than 12 million monthly subscribers based on their latest earnings info. That's like 70 million less subscribers than Netflix in the US. Everyone you know has a Netflix subscription or access to Netflix. I don't know one person with AMC+ that I could turn to right now and get their password.
The fear, to me, is that AMC will bring all The Walking Dead shows under the AMC+ umbrella exclusively when the licensing rights expire at Netflix. While that would likely increase subscriptions to AMC+, I don't think that is going to really move the needle in making the masses subscribe.
Like, there are going to be Walking Dead fans who do subscribe because it's not on Netflix anymore, but that's not going to be enough to make up for what AMC could probably get in licensing for keeping the show on another network or Netflix.
I'm not saying that AMC+ hosting all the Walking Dead shows is a done deal by any means. I just think that these networks are pulling their content to their own streaming services, but that's never going to close the gap between these smaller services and Netflix.
We don't know what Walking Dead shows are coming in the future, but we know the franchise will not end with Dead City or Daryl Dixon. There's so much more story to be told, and this universe is going to expand in one way or another. AMC needs a streaming service like Netflix to amplify its reach and get viewers back on board.
Even the best shows have a hard time standing out in the crowd on Prime Video, Apple TV, HBO Max, and Disney+. Almost every Netflix show that becomes a hit racks up millions of viewers, and they come out of nowhere sometimes, too. Every Walking Dead spinoff that hits Netflix has a chance to pop off and become a hit overnight, and that's just not true of other streamers.
What The Walking Dead does next will have huge ramifications
Most importantly, the future of The Walking Dead depends on what the franchise does next. The stories of the original cast members and stars are coming to an end soon. Daryl Dixon season 4 is the final season. We don't know what that means for Dead City, but that feels like it's nearing the end sometime soon.
If AMC goes forward with plans involving other survivors from the original series, you'd think they would want to keep that series where the people are (Netflix) and where people recognize the show.
On top of that, The Walking Dead is battling some serious fatigue when it comes to these stories. Dead City and Daryl Dixon are good, but they're nothing compared to the original series. Fear the Walking Dead was even more popular than those spinoffs, but it failed to catch on as well as the original series.
There's just a lot of pressure riding on this next series, and if AMC messes it up, I fear what that could mean for the franchise.
There are still so many Walking Dead fans, but you don't want to do something that draws their ire. While moving the shows from Netflix probably wouldn't do that, it would make the shows harder to watch, and that's going to have a ripple effect on the budget, effects, and story down the line. The more viewers a show has, the more money someone is willing to throw at it.
We'll let you know more about the future of The Walking Dead on Netflix! You can watch all 11 seasons of the original series and its spinoffs right now.