When Killing Eve returns for its darker second season, more viewers will have a chance to lay eyeballs on the already-grim series that landed near the top of our best shows of 2018 list. That’s because whereas the series only previously debuted episodes on BBC America in the U.S. (later to rerun them on AMC), plans for the future of the series are changing. In turn, more folks will get the chance to catch up on Killing Eve before Sandra Oh runs around next year scooping up awards for her performance in the series. That’s a win-win.
Moving forward, AMC will now simulcast episodes while they air on BBC America. That obviously means more eyeballs, given that AMC Networks’ flagship channel is available to around 80% of total cable subscribers, whereas BBC America reaches fewer (about 66%) of these same homes. The LA Times confirmed the new strategy:
“It’s a great opportunity to expose more people to ‘Killing Eve,'” AMC Networks Chief Operating Officer Ed Carroll said in a recent interview at the company’s New York office. “These times demand trying some nonconventional methods. And if you have a platform as big and broad as AMC, then it seems like a good thing to try.”
In addition to the clear benefits for Killing Eve, AMC’s working a longer game here. The channel is well-known for its subversive, critically-acclaimed series that gather loyal followings. However, the sheer number of original scripted TV series reaching streaming, network, and cable viewers only increases each year (2018 saw 495), and AMC Networks must stay as competitive as possible. Their The Walking Dead remained cable’s biggest show, but diversification never hurts, nor does the possibility of more people loving Killing Eve.
(Via LA Times)
