The Walking Dead Rights For Sale As AMC Re-Evaluates Relationship With Network-Defining Franchise

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After more than 15 years of telling stories in a world after the apocalypse, AMC is planning some changes for The Walking Dead.

The popular TV show The Walking Dead, based on Robert Kirkman’s graphic novels, aired for 11 seasons, from 2010 to 2022. Its success led to several spin-off series, starting with Fear the Walking Dead, which ended in 2023 after eight seasons. This was followed by The World Beyond (two seasons), the short-lived Tales of the Walking Dead, the limited series The Ones Who Live focusing on Rick and Michonne, and the currently running shows Dead City and Daryl Dixon.

With the current spin-off shows already in production for their next seasons, Deadline reports that the rights to The Walking Dead are being put up for sale. During an earnings call, AMC Global Media CEO Kristin Dolan stated that several major companies are actively bidding for the franchise. However, AMC intends to retain some exclusive rights to the content, and these co-exclusive deals are the main focus of negotiations.

Dolan discussed the possibility of splitting the rights to The Walking Dead into smaller packages, noting that AMC is considering both this approach and keeping all the rights together in a single deal. Kim Kelleher, President and CCO of AMC Global Media, emphasized that ensuring a good “customer experience and discoverability” is more important than maximizing profit when choosing partners. She also mentioned that some of their existing international partners are currently bidding for these rights.

As a big fan of The Walking Dead, I was a little surprised to hear AMC is considering letting other companies help create stories in that universe. I mean, even though the original show finished, they’ve kept things going strong with all the spin-offs, and Scott Gimple even hinted they had plans for at least another 15 years of stories! We know Daryl Dixon is wrapping up after season 4 this year, and while season 3 of Dead City is happening, we’re still waiting to hear what happens after that. Plus, they’ve still been talking about continuing the story with Rick and Michonne, so it’s interesting to see them open up to outside partners now.

This isn’t the first time AMC has partnered with others regarding the rights to The Walking Dead. Several video games have been made based on or connected to the main series, like the Survival Instincts game focusing on Daryl, the VR title Onslaught, and the 2023 action game Destinies, which impacted the show’s storyline. The franchise has also expanded through novels, both based on Robert Kirkman’s original comics and the series itself, adding depth to the world.

AMC has clarified that they’re looking for partners to share streaming rights for The Walking Dead, rather than giving exclusive access to just one platform. Currently, all episodes are mainly available on Netflix and AMC+, which gives the show a broad international audience. However, because Netflix isn’t available everywhere, AMC is likely considering adding other streaming services to reach more viewers and boost profits.

Another reason AMC might be selling the rights to The Walking Dead is to explore more opportunities beyond television. While podcasts are becoming increasingly popular, there hasn’t been an official one for the show. Plus, most of the video games based on the series haven’t been very successful. By partnering with a different studio, AMC hopes to keep the franchise thriving for many years.

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2026-05-08 18:20