Netflix Just Locked Down ‘The Walking Dead’ Universe for Five More Years, and Amc+ Is Finally Getting a Piece Too
Zombie fatigue has been a talking point in entertainment circles for years, yet somehow ‘The Walking Dead’ keeps proving those predictions wrong. Nearly fifteen years after it first shambled onto screens, the franchise remains one of the most reliably rewatched titles in Netflix’s massive library.
That staying power just paid off in a major way. Netflix and AMC Global Media have struck a new, expanded partnership that keeps the zombie franchise firmly in Netflix’s corner while also opening the door for a rival platform to finally get in on the action.
According to the official announcement, the two companies have signed a five-year, 500 million dollar co-exclusive licensing agreement covering the original series and all six of its spin-offs. The deal significantly expands what’s currently available, bringing the franchise’s full 371-episode catalog together in one place for the first time.
That catalog includes ‘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,’ none of which have previously streamed on Netflix alongside the flagship series. Starting in 2027, all of them will roll out on the platform, with exact timing varying by territory depending on existing regional licensing agreements.
The agreement also expands the show’s international footprint, bringing ‘The Walking Dead’ to new territories including the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand, markets where the original series hasn’t previously been available on the platform. That international push signals just how much value both companies still see in the franchise well over a decade after it first premiered.
Perhaps the most notable wrinkle in the deal is its co-exclusive structure, which finally allows AMC+ to stream the original ‘Walking Dead’ series for the first time ever, ending Netflix’s long-standing exclusive hold on the show in the United States. It’s a rare concession from Netflix, whose licensing deals have typically prioritized keeping major library titles locked behind its own walls.
Netflix’s vice president of licensing pointed to the franchise’s continued relevance as a driving factor behind the renewal, noting that the show continues to attract new fans even this deep into its run. That kind of sustained engagement has made ‘The Walking Dead’ something of a case study in what industry insiders call the “Netflix effect,” where older library titles find unexpected new life once they land on the platform’s massive audience base.
AMC Global Media CEO Kristin Dolan echoed similar enthusiasm about the expanded partnership, framing the deal as a way to create a single global destination where fans can access every corner of the franchise at once. For a media landscape increasingly fragmented across competing platforms, consolidating an entire franchise’s catalog under one roof, even a co-exclusive one, stands out as an unusually fan-friendly move.
Where would you rather watch the entire The Walking Dead universe?
The timing of the announcement also lands during a period of heightened scrutiny around Netflix’s engagement numbers, with several of its original titles seeing viewership dips in later seasons. Leaning on a proven, beloved franchise like ‘The Walking Dead’ offers the platform a dependable engagement driver while it continues navigating questions about its broader content strategy.
With the expanded deal set to roll out over the course of next year, fans finally have a clear runway toward watching the entire ‘Walking Dead Universe’ in one place, whichever platform they end up choosing.
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