AMC is a cable television channel that primarily airs
movies. The letters originally stood for
American Movie Classics. However, since 2003, the full name has been deemphasized 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, uncut, and uncolorized 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 in the
United States.
