AMC is a cable television network that primarily airs
movies. The letters originally stood for
American Movie Classics. However, since 2003, the full name has been deemphasized (as is the case for
TLC, and formerly
TNN) as a result of a major shift in programming.
AMC is owned by
Rainbow Media Holdings, LLC, a subsidiary of
Cablevision Systems Corporation, and signed on
October 1,
1984.
History
1980s
AMC was originally a
premium cable channel that aired classic movies during the afternoons and early evenings, largely pre-1950s, in a
commercial-free, generally unedited format.
[Gildemeister, Christopher. The Fine Arts Are Hard To Find. Parents Television Council: October 2, 2006] It was not uncommon for the channel to host a
Marx Brothers marathon, or show such classics as the original
Phantom of the Opera. In 1987, the channel first became available on
basic cable television systems.
[Gomery, Douglas. American Movie Classics. Museum of Broadcast Communications] By 1989, the channel had 39 million subscribers alone in the
United States.
