Even media companies that are not directly tied to sports are trying to get into sports content.<\/p>\n
The latest example is AMC, the cable network best known for breakout shows like\u00a0The Walking Dead and\u00a0Breaking Bad. As sports fans continue to make up a larger portion of the pay TV bundle, entertainment-focused networks like AMC are trying to capture a slice of the pie.<\/p>\n
That doesn\u2019t mean bidding on big-ticket sports rights, but rather producing complimentary programming sports fans might be interested in.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know we\u2019re not going to be buying any of the major sports leagues, but we can tap into that audience,\u201d AMC chief content officer Dan McDermott told Variety<\/a>.<\/p>\n This week, AMC announced\u00a0Rise of the Saints, a docuseries following the New Orleans Saints in the years following Hurricane Katrina. It will be the newest installment in AMC\u2019s\u00a0Rise series and is scheduled to premiere in February 2027.<\/p>\n From heartbreak to history. \u269c\ufe0f Through rare, never-before-seen footage and interviews with Saints legends, this is the story of how a football team helped New Orleans find hope, resilience, and belief after Hurricane Katrina. \u2014 AMC TV (@AMC_TV) April 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n In addition to the upcoming Saints docuseries, AMC has greenlit\u00a0Thunder Road, a new scripted series produced in partnership with NASCAR.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not AMC\u2019s first dive into sports content, but it seems to be the start of a concerted effort in the space. Recently, AMC signed a deal with TNA Wrestling, a competitor to WWE and AEW. The network previously debuted<\/a> Rise of the 49ers earlier this year.<\/p>\n Expensive media rights are \u201cnot our market,\u201d AMC chief commercial officer Kim Kelleher told Variety, \u201cbut telling the stories behind those great seminal moments, that is laser-focused for us.\u201d<\/p>\n \t
#RiseoftheSaints<\/a>, a new installment of the \u2018Rise\u2019\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/zeS2FwdzEK<\/a><\/p>\n