Netflix and AMC+ strike $500m pact for complete ‘The Walking Dead’ franchise

The Walking Dead franchise is getting a major streaming shake up after AMC Global Media and Netflix reached a new five year licensing agreement worth $500m, ensuring the zombie universe remains widely available while also bringing the original series to AMC+ for the first time.

The agreement, announced on July 30, covers the entire television franchise, including the flagship series and all six spin offs. In total, the deal includes 371 episodes spanning more than a decade of storytelling.

Beginning in 2027, The Walking Dead will stream on both Netflix and AMC+ under a co exclusive licensing arrangement. The rollout will vary by territory because existing licensing agreements must expire before the new rights take effect. As a result, audiences in different countries will see the shows arrive on different dates.

The deal includes the original The Walking Dead alongside Fear the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, The Walking Dead: Dead City, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, The Walking Dead: World Beyond and Tales of The Walking Dead.

Netflix has been the exclusive United States streaming home of the original series since 2011. Under the new agreement, that long standing partnership continues while expanding access internationally. The pact also allows AMC+ to stream the flagship series for the first time, giving the company's own platform a complete home for the franchise.

Netflix executive Lori Conkling said audiences have continued discovering the series for nearly 15 years and that the company is pleased to keep expanding access to the franchise around the world. She described the agreement as an opportunity to bring the full The Walking Dead universe to viewers across more territories.

AMC Global Media chief executive Kristin Dolan also welcomed the partnership, calling it a way to create a global destination for the franchise. She said the agreement makes every series and every episode easier for fans to find while allowing AMC+ to finally add the original show to its catalogue. Dolan also credited Netflix with helping turn The Walking Dead into one of television's most successful franchises.

The announcement reflects the enduring commercial value of The Walking Dead, which premiered in 2010 and quickly became one of cable television's biggest global hits. Although the original series concluded in 2022, AMC continued expanding the universe through multiple spin offs centred on popular characters including Daryl Dixon, Rick Grimes, Michonne and Maggie.

For longtime fans, the new arrangement removes much of the fragmentation that has developed as different series became available across separate services and regions. Once the licensing transition is complete, viewers in participating markets will have easier access to the entire saga through Netflix and AMC+.