Q&A: AMC Networks’ Harold Gronenthal

Already well established brands in the U.S., Sundance Channel and WE tv, operated by AMC Networks, have been steadily making their way across the globe over the last few years. Under the guidance of Harold Gronenthal, the senior VP and general manager of AMC/Sundance Channel Global, the two networks have rolled out across Europe and the Asia Pacific. Gronenthal speaks to World Screen Weekly about the global strategy for the AMC Networks portfolio.

WS: Does the ramping up of the channels’ original productions in the U.S. make them more appealing to an international cable or satellite operator?
GRONENTHAL: Any channel launching in today’s market has to be able to lay claim to its own content, to be able to point to its own DNA. What’s attractive to our affiliates on the Sundance side is certainly that we’re connected with IFC Films (AMC Networks’ U.S. theatrical division), which gives us access to films not available anywhere else, that are unique and exclusive to us in a theatrical window and in the window we use on the channels. It’s helpful that Sundance domestically is ramping up original productions. Internationally we’re also in the process of ramping up our own productions to try to be more local, more relevant to the markets we’re in. Earlier this year we co-produced programming from the Cannes Film Festival with Cinemoi. We’re also producing our first-ever original programs for the Venice Film Festival now with 3DD Productions. WE tv’s been producing original content for quite some time in the U.S. Bridezillas is a brand for WE that travels well, particularly in Asia. You have to go in to an operator not only with multiplatform rights so they can use your content, but also with the content to make it work. I don’t think you can separate the two.

The good news is that at the moment almost everything we’re bringing to the channels globally is unique. 95 percent of it is premiere in the market. We’ve just announced we’ll be premiering Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?, Braxton Family Values and a new season of My Fair Wedding with David Tuturea on WE tv starting this fall in Asia. Our first and foremost goal is to make sure we’re delivering on the brand and then look at how we can tweak that for the market.

WS: Are you focusing on 24-hour channel launches, or are you also looking at programming blocks?
GRONENTHAL: We struck a deal with Acht [in Belgium], for a weekly block of Sundance. It is a well-established channel in the region. It’s great to have that extra promotional value. Telenet, our key operator in Belgium, loved the idea. We exist on an HD tier in Belgium and it gives us more exposure and publicity, it’s great.

WS: When you’re launching internationally, do you also look to have the content available online or on other digital platforms?
GRONENTHAL: In France we have an SVOD service. It accompanies the linear channel; the SVOD service is unique. The content you get on the SVOD service is not on the channel. The same thing holds true in Singapore where we have an SVOD service up for Sundance and WE tv. We have plans to roll out other SVOD packages, VOD packages, and transactional packages with other operators and platforms wherever we launch. We also offer the channel via authenticated mobile streaming in Spain for Sundance Channel through our partnership with Imagenio.

WS: Are there any territories you particularly want to get in to? Or is it opportunistic?
GRONENTHAL: It’s always, at some level, opportunistic. The best strategy you have for distribution is always offset by that chance meeting at MIPTV, MIPCOM or NATPE or wherever it may be. We’re obviously looking to further expand in Europe and Asia. We just announced new launches in five territories, which cover both Sundance Channel and WE tv as SD and HD linear channels and VOD offerings.  We’re also working on getting other carriage within existing territories.

WS: Are you also looking at IFC and AMC?
GRONENTHAL: We brought Sundance in as we were beginning the international rollout, and Sundance emerged in that process; it is a brand that resonates with people. WE tv took off in Asia because there was an opportunity and a market there. WE tv as a factual, interesting, great viewing experience, works pretty well in Asia.
Strategically, what we are doing is cross-pollinating brands from AMC Networks to help strengthen our launch potential. We’ve launched Mad Men on Sundance Channel in France, for example, and will continue to look at those opportunities in other global Sundance territories. IFC launched in Canada in 2001 and there’s certainly room as it moves in this direction of edgy male oriented comedy, 18 to 35. We’ve had conversations in the past with people in various markets who are looking for that kind of content, so there’s certainly potential for IFC, but right now I’d like to continue growing the channels we have up and running globally.

WS: How much has the recession impacted your business in terms of selling channels?
GRONENTHAL:

If you look at when we aggressively got into this business, we did so at exactly the worst possible moment. The recession was on full-bore, and we were out in the market trying to push the channels. I think that speaks well of our corporate organization, that said, “We get it; we understand it may be a tough road but lets go for it.” So we’ve weathered the storm pretty well and have gotten launches in the middle of this recession. We do see markets climbing out of recession. We see expanding platforms, people rolling out more HD, people rolling out more on demand, more linear, IPTV, iPads. There’s a real opportunity for the brands and the channels and we’ll be able to capitalize on that as we move forward. You can’t sit back in a recession and hunker under and pretend that nothing is going on. We’ve been pretty aggressive. We’ve got some good tractions, some success, and now that we see things moving on, that bodes well for us moving forward.