AMC Networks Head Josh Sapan on Mergers: ‘We Don’t Feel Any Need to Be Larger’
AMC Networks president and CEO Josh Sapan said he is not feeling any pressure to engage in a merger like those proposed at Time-Warner and AT&T or Viacom and CBS.
“We don’t feel any need to be larger necessarily,” Sapan said at the UBS Media Conference on Tuesday. “There are some companies who have sold or spun rather successfully, and so they’ve become more discreet or less conglomerated and then they’ve re-conglomerated.”
AT&T bought Time-Warner in an $80 billion deal, though the acquisition is still awaiting standard regulatory approvals. Viacom previously owned CBS before spinning it off in 2006, but now talks have begun for the companies to reunite once again.
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“We have operated — and I hope proven out — that what’s most important is to have content that people really desire,” he continued. “As the world changes…the consumers’ voice and the consumers’ choice is actually becoming louder, in part because of social media.”
“So if we have shows on that people want, and they really want them, and they’re vocal and their intention is high, that really accrues benefit to us whether we’re this size, this size, or this size,” he concluded. “So we have focused on having great material.”
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Chief among that “great material” is the series “The Walking Dead,” currently in its seventh season on AMC. With its return this season that resolved a major cliffhanger, the show brought in 17 million viewers and an 8.4 rating. It has been consistently ranked as the number one show on TV for multiple years.
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