AMC Networks Inc. is an American mass media and entertainment corporation headquartered in 11 Penn Plaza, New York.

AMC Networks also maintains a minority share in the US operations of the British-TV streaming service BritBox, a joint venture between the BBC and ITV plc.

The current incarnation of the company, founded as a publicly traded company in July 2011, is the successor to the now defunct Rainbow Media Holdings, LLC (or alternately Rainbow Programming Holdings), which was originally founded in 1980 as a subsidiary of Cablevision (which itself is defunct), and is majority-owned and controlled by the Dolan family.

[4] Origins of the company go back to 1980 when its predecessor, Rainbow Media, was first founded and was initially a joint venture between the cable television companies Cablevision, Comcast, Cox Communications, and Daniels & Associates, yet its first service, a hybrid service, was launched from partnership was launched later on December 8, 1980, which broadcast nightly on satellite time subleased from the National Christian Network, and consisted of featured culture events from what is now Bravo on Sunday and Monday nights, and adult-oriented B movie network Escapade the rest of the week.

Cablevision transferred control of its previously launched regional sports network SportsChannel New York to Rainbow.

[12] Through this partnership, five additional regional sports networks were created in the Bay Area, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles.

[13] Years later would CHUM sell their stake to Rainbow in 2000 and revoked their license for the MuchMusic name, which culminated into a rebrand as Fuse in 2003.

In 2005, Cablevision considered spinning off Rainbow Media as a publicly traded company, and making their core cable business private, but withdrew the plan.

On July 12, 2012, AMC said in an e-mailed statement that it would stream over the Internet the season premiere of Breaking Bad to Dish customers.

[29][30] In 2016, AMC Networks finalized a partnership agreement with former BET founder Robert L. Johnson's RLJ Company.

[31] On November 15, 2016, AMC acquired a minority stake in comedy video website and film and television production company Funny or Die, with plans to integrate it with IFC.

[32] On April 27, 2018, the company, as the owner of IFC, acquired a majority stake in comedy venue operator Levity Live.

[34] The transaction was approved by RLJ Entertainment's stockholders on October 31, and AMC Networks completed the acquisition on November 1.

The series was distributed by AMC's streaming service Shudder in the US, Canada, UK, and Ireland and by TVNZ On Demand in New Zealand.

[36][37] In early 2020, the AMC Networks involved Switzer Group to lead the redesign of its tenth-floor headquarters at 11 Penn Plaza, New York.

[38] On May 13, 2020, AMC Networks announced it was acquiring the rights to Anne Rice's major literary works, including The Vampire Chronicles and Lives of the Mayfair Witches.

[40] On February 2, 2021, AMC Networks entered into a strategic partnership with Canadian production company Shaftesbury Films.

AMC made an investment in the company, thus giving them access to the latter's slate and expanding their content and development capabilities in Canada.

BritBox is an exception, as AMC only owns part of its American operations while it is a joint venture between the BBC and ITV plc outside the US.