amcpremiere.com

AMC - American Movie Classics. The name itself conjures up images of classic films from the golden era of American cinema; films from the 1920s and 30s that capture the country's heartland on film; endless fields of crops as far as the eye can see. But for all the romance that the channel's name suggests, AMC didn't even exist until 1984. Since its creation, AMC has undergone a lot of change, but what hasn't changed is its ubiquitous existence in the world of American television. Today I am here to take a look under the hood of the premium streaming service, AMC Premiere. With new streaming platforms cropping up left and right, it is becoming more difficult for consumers to make wise decisions. Do you go with Netflix? Hulu? Both, or neither? What does AMC Premiere have that the others don't? What is AMC Premiere, anyway?

Let's explore the premium service's ins and outs. I'll explain how it works, who it's for, and whether it's worth subscribing to it. You may even learn a thing or two in the process.

How it Started

If you flipped to the AMC channel during the 1980s, you would find it playing old-school American classics. Most of them date from before the 1950s. During those first years, the channel played only in the afternoon and evening hours. If you wanted to watch The Phantom of the Opera or films by the Marx brothers when you got home from work, you would be in luck. But if you were looking to watch something more contemporary, best look elsewhere. Simply put, it was a modest channel with humble ambitions. The 1990s were a time of great change for AMC. The channel responded to the technological advances of the time by adapting its 24-hour playing schedule, which allowed it to grow its customer base. However, in 2001, AMC introduced commercials mid-way through movies, signalling the beginning of another big change for the channel. In 2012, AMC cashed out and began airing commercials during movie watching. This marked a major shift in how AMC operated and foreshadowed future changes to come.

As the new millennium began, AMC became a modern-facing entity, ditching its "classics-only" spiel to keep up with the times. Within years, reality series took the place of silent films. Management chalked it up to monetary necessity. The ruthless power of the dollar had won, and AMC seemed intent on becoming just like every other channel.

In 2007, the AMC channel began to improve. It was thanks to the launch of Mad Men and Breaking Bad that the channel gained some respect in the media. However, this popularity was not permanent and now, people may have a certain respect for AMC due to popular shows like The Walking Dead. This growth has been sustained by other popular programs on AMC, which have helped make it one of the most popular networks today.

How it Works

Some major media companies have released very clunky streaming platforms. Often, the way that these platforms are designed is confusing. For example, Showtime operates two near-identical streaming services: Showtime and Showtime Anytime. Both offer the exact same content, but each has its own standalone app and portal. Huh? We wish we could say AMC was more efficient, but it isn't - not by much. If you don't already receive AMC through your television provider's bundle, then you won't be eligible for the AMC Premiere service. There is currently no way to sign up for it as a standalone service.

This is not to say that you need an AMC Premiere subscription to stream any of AMC's content. By logging into AMC's media hub through your television provider's portal, you can download the regular AMC app. Once it's installed, you can sync it to any of your streaming devices to watch your favorite content.

After all, the library is the same, right? Wrong. In fact, with AMC Premiere you can get special features like behind-the-scenes bonus footage or episodes that can be downloaded for offline viewing. And for select shows, they promise an ad-free watching experience. At $4.99/month, it's definitely worth it to check out Premiere.

To reiterate, you can only get Premiere if you already have access to AMC through a provider. To sign up for AMC Premiere, you will need to go directly through that provider. There is no standalone app and the $4.99/month charge will be tacked on to the monthly bill you receive from your provider.

What?s Included

Typically, when you try to watch an AMC show that is currently airing on television, you will be able to find the most recent episodes on your device. However, if a show isn't currently in season, typically you won?t be able to find those episodes. Without the channel's bread-and-butter shows, what's left to draw viewers to their streaming service?

We will divide AMC's library into two groups: those available as full series, and those of which you can only watch the current season.

Full Series:

Kevin Smith's Comic Book Men aired its finale on Sunday night, concluding the Making of the Mob series. Speculation about the show's fate has been rampant since it was announced that only eight episodes would be produced, with some alleging that AMC pulled the plug because of poor ratings. Alcatraz premiered on Sunday night, and The Name of the Rose aired its finale on Wednesday night. Finally, NOS4A2 aired its finale on Saturday night.

Current Season Only:

- The Crown - Homecoming Many popular shows returned for their ninth seasons this year. Among them were the Walking Dead, Talking Dead, Into the Badlands, Brockmire, Fear the Walking Dead, and Killing Eve. The Crown also aired its final episode this year. The takeaway from this library is that it is a disappointing list. In fact, people who were lured in by shows like Breaking Bad or Mad Men will probably be dumbfounded to find these legendary shows absent on their parent channel's premium streaming platform.

Design of the Website

There isn't much to say about the website itself. It's clunky and half-broken, and the search function doesn't even work inside the streaming platform's library. Rather, it searches through AMC's entire archival catalog. A search for Mad Men turns up a 1999-looking query filled with useless links, including a list of the show's cast and a link to the show's Facebook page. You'd have more luck searching on Ask Jeeves. The site's navigation menu is unappealing and confusing. It is broken down into subcategories: Featured Shows; All Shows; Movies; Schedule; and Talk. Clicking on Featured Shows takes you to a cluttered, counterintuitive landing page that was not designed with rhyme or reason. If you are somehow able to locate your series of choice, then you will finally be in the clear. The web client functions adequately, though I am not sure that is much of an accomplishment - after all, it is the bare minimum.

Prime Video?s Strengths

I'll be honest. There are few strengths to speak of. If you're a fan of The Walking Dead, then . . . well, even then, there's only one season available to watch. While the service touts its ad-free viewing experience as a feature, I feel like I'm being gaslighted. Why wouldn't a premium for-pay service offer ad-free viewing? This isn't really a feature, but more of an industry standard.

Prime Video?s Weaknesses

AMC Premiere's website is a disaster. The user interface is unintuitive. The subscription price of $4.99/month is insulting given the lack of show offerings. And the fact that AMC's strongest series are unavailable is the coup de grace.