The Walking Dead is now available to stream for free in the UK, but there's a catch.
The Walking Dead universe's official ITVX channel is now live in the UK, as of Tuesday, July 7. The free ad-supported streaming television channel (FAST) basically plays episodes from The Walking Dead's many shows on a loop. Fans can sit back and watch marathons of The Walking Dead on ITVX right now.
For now, AMC Global Media revealed The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead will be available to stream on ITVX. In the future, the other Walking Dead shows, including Daryl Dixon, Dead City, The Ones Who Live, World Beyond, and others, will likely be able to stream on ITVX, as well.
We don't know the timeline for those shows, but because they were released more recently, and two of those shows are current series, I'm sure the issue is licensing rights for the UK.
Last month, it was announced that AMC Global Media struck a partnership with ITV to create an special ITVX channel for The Walking Dead. In a new press release, Tom Keaveney, the Executive Vice President and Managing Editor of AMC Global Media UK, made a statement about The Walking Dead's new ITVX channel:
“Following our announcement in June, we’re pleased to bring The Walking Dead Universe FAST channel to audiences on ITVX. This reflects our approach to expanding access to premium content through free, ad supported environments, working with platform partners to connect our brands with audiences in new and accessible ways.”
Obviously, this is incredible news for fans of The Walking Dead universe in the UK.
Overall, I appreciate the free, ad-supported channels. Streaming TV is definitely getting more expensive, and this offers fans who might not necessarily be able to afford a Netflix or AMC subscription a chance to stream The Walking Dead shows for the first time or re-watch a show (or shows) that they love. I also have a feeling this will be an interesting experiment to see how the shows are received.
The Walking Dead is an interesting crossroads at the moment. Dead City season 3 arrives later this month, followed by Daryl Dixon season 4 this fall. That's the final season of the series, but outside of those two shows, there's nothing official on the books for the future of the franchise. On top of that, AMC is exploring and taking bids for the rights to stream The Walking Dead, which could be leaving Netflix for the first time since 2011.
We just learned that Norman Reedus is already in talks to return to The Walking Dead universe following the end of Daryl Dixon, but we have no idea what that could mean right now.
We'll keep you posted on the future of The Walking Dead. If you're a fan in the UK, definitely check out the new Walking Dead channel on ITVX.
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