Hulu To Provide ‘Fear The Walking Dead’ In New AMC Deal
Beating competitors to the punch, Hulu has reached an agreement to obtain the rights to first-run episodes of the upcoming The Walking Dead spin-off, Fear The Walking Dead. Although this is only part of the overall output package Hulu will be delivering to viewers, with another commodity being the rights to the entire run of Seinfeld, Hulu is banking on the success of the highly anticipated Fear The Walking Dead.
“FX and AMC are the most important contributors to the new golden age of television,” Craig Erwich, Hulu programming chief, said upon the release of the news. “Our competitors have some of their libraries, but we will have all of their future.”
Hulu has been seeking out ways to compete in the market and most specifically with Netflix, which obtained the rights to Mad Men and The Walking Dead in 2011. Netflix also beat Hulu to the punch with Better Call Saul, the Breaking Bad spin-off, but Hulu may recover from that loss if interest in Fear The Walking Dead continues to escalate as it has since news of the proposed Walking Dead companion series was leaked to the public.
Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins is optimistic about recent coups, which, in addition to Fear The Walking Dead, also includes the rights to the hit shows Empire and CSI. In an even bolder move, banking on the success of unproven content, Hulu has obtained rights to future shows set to premiere on FX Networks, TNT, TBS, Adult Swim, and Cartoon Network.
“AMC Networks has an incredible reputation and track record in producing captivating storytelling across a variety of genres for true connoisseurs of television. This huge partnership guarantees that Hulu viewers will soon be able to enjoy the newest slate of premium programming from some of the top cable networks…2015 is the year Hulu will break out. We are investing significantly in content and technology.”
Fear The Walking Dead, tentatively scheduled to premiere on June 12 and suspected to be occupying a risky Friday night time slot, is a companion series to The Walking Dead and will feature Cliff Curtis and Kim Dickens at the start of the zombie apocalypse. Set in Los Angeles, Fear The Walking Dead will host an entirely new cast of characters in a setting that will have them dealing with the undead in first encounter situations. Fan interest in Fear The Walking Dead prompted AMC to order an additional season, so there are already plans for two six-episode seasons.
Earlier this month, Inquisitr provided a first look at Fear The Walking Dead.
[Featured image: Fear The Walking Dead courtesy of AMC]
