Dish Drops AMC Just Before 'Breaking Bad' Season Premiere

"The Walking Dead" debuted to record high ratings (16.1 million viewers). It also had a ridiculously high number of tweets when it aired. 

Last night, "Breaking Bad" won its first Emmy for Best Drama Series. The Emmy came as the show's fifth and final season is airing on AMC. When Gilligan took the stage last night to accept in shock thinking Netflix's original series "House of Cards" was going to win.

(Reuters) - AMC Networks, which carries "Breaking Bad," "The Walking Dead," "Mad Men" and other popular television shows, was removed from Dish Network early Sunday after its contract with the satellite TV company expired without a new agreement. Dish, the second-largest satellite TV provider behind DirectTV, said it dropped New York-based AMC because it was charging fees that were too high for the low-rated channel. AMC's contract also expired with AT&T on June 30, but negotiations between the parties continue and AMC channels are being carried on AT&T, the companies said on Sunday. ...

"Breaking Bad" is ending its five season run this Sunday. After we bid farewell to the greatest meth kingpin of all time, what should you watch next? We've already accepted that it will be pretty difficult for anything to live up to or replace the AMC series. But since we're voracious television consumers, we know it's impossible to stop watching TV all together.

AMC Networks (AMCX), the company formerly known as Rainbow Media that was split off from Cablevision in 2011, has been the epitome of a successful public market spin-off. Huge hits led by Breaking Bad and Mad Men have the company, which owns four national channels (Sundance Channel, IFC, and WE tv, in addition to the flagship AMC), on a roll with both viewers and investors. As you can see from the chart below, the stock has doubled in the two years since the shares made their stock market debut as an independent company.

All of AMC's channels have been cut by satellite provider DISH Network, and viewers of hit shows like Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead are irked. Tiffs between networks and cable providers are common, but this one has gone on for record time.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

By Chris Katje: AMC Networks (AMCX) is the company behind the television channels AMC, IFC, Sundance Channel, and WE TV. The company also owns IFC Films. The company was recently spun off from Cablevision (CVC).

(Reuters) - AMC Networks, which carries "Breaking Bad," "The Walking Dead," "Mad Men" and other popular television shows, was removed from Dish Network early Sunday after its contract with the satellite TV company expired without a new agreement.