In this video, shot ahead of San Diego Comic-Con, Fool contributor Tim Beyers discusses AMC Networks' (AMCX 0.33%) need to cultivate new properties.
Both Breaking Bad and Mad Men end soon. The Walking Dead should give the network plenty of life as the top-rated scripted show of the fall 2012-2013 TV season, but network President Charlie Collier isn't sitting idle.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Collier said that AMC has 67 projects in development -- the most in its history. AMC needs a few of those projects to hit at the level of Breaking Bad and Mad Men to grow at the level investors expect, and that won't be easy with HBO and CBS (CBS +0.00%) subsidiary Showtime setting personal ratings records for edgy properties Ray Donovan and Game of Thrones.
Netflix, too, is a threat with its growing crop of original series. If AMC has an edge, it's history and a willingness to draw inspiration from comic books. A recent example: Thief of Thieves. AMC first revealed plans to make a pilot last April.
Expect Thief of Thieves to make it on air, Tim says, if only because it's precisely the sort of dark drama that explores troubled family relationships but in an action-packed setting. Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman is also behind the property.
AMC needs options to keep the momentum that'll be lost with the end of Breaking Bad and Mad Men. But with 67 projects in development -- including Thief of Thieves -- there's reason to believe Collier and his team will do exactly that, Tim says. Do you agree? Leave a comment to let us know whether you would buy, sell, or short AMC stock at current prices.
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