When The Walking Dead first landed in 2010, a grim zombie series based on Robert Kirkman’s comic books was hardly a guaranteed mainstream hit.
Instead, it became one of the biggest shows on television, broke cable ratings records and helped prove audiences would happily spend Sunday nights watching a group of exhausted survivors argue over canned food while avoiding the undead.
More than 15 years later, the franchise is still worth serious money.
Netflix and AMC Global Media have signed a five-year streaming licensing deal reportedly worth $500 million, covering all 371 episodes from across The Walking Dead universe.
That includes the original 11-season series alongside its six spin-offs: Fear the Walking Dead, Daryl Dixon, Dead City, The Ones Who Live, World Beyond and Tales of the Walking Dead.
The shows will be available across both Netflix and AMC+, rather than disappearing from AMC’s own streaming service.
The deal also gives the franchise a much bigger international push. Netflix will expand The Walking Dead into markets including Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Italy, while the six spin-offs will begin rolling out globally from 2027.
Exact release dates will vary from country to country as older regional licensing agreements come to an end.
The original series wrapped up in 2022, but AMC has kept the universe moving through stories focused on Daryl Dixon, Rick and Michonne, and the fairly unlikely partnership between Maggie and Negan.
For Netflix, it means hundreds of hours of a proven franchise that people can easily fall back into. For AMC, it gives the newer shows access to viewers who may have checked out somewhere around season seven and never quite found their way back.
It may not be the return of Rick Grimes and the original gang for season 12, but for anyone looking to start the franchise from scratch, 371 episodes should probably keep them occupied for a while.
