The Walking Dead is not disappearing from Netflix when its current rights deal ends. Deadline reports that Netflix will pay AMC Global Media $500 million for five years of co-exclusive streaming rights beginning in 2027. The package covers the original series and all six TV spinoffs, for a reported total of 371 episodes.
This is a streaming agreement, not an order for another season. Netflix has not revived the original show, announced new Rick Grimes episodes, or taken control of the franchise. AMC keeps the right to offer the same shows through AMC+, so viewers will have both services as official streaming options.
What Will Be Included?
The agreement reportedly covers every television series released under The Walking Dead name:
- The Walking Dead
- Fear the Walking Dead
- The Walking Dead: World Beyond
- Tales of the Walking Dead
- The Walking Dead: Dead City
- The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon
- The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live
The original show alone ran for 11 seasons and 177 episodes. Adding the spinoffs turns the deal into a very large catalog that can keep a new viewer busy for months.
A full country-by-country schedule has not been announced. AMC+ is not available in every market, and local Netflix libraries can differ. Viewers should also avoid assuming that new episodes will appear on both services on the same day. The reported deal confirms access to the franchise, but it does not give a release schedule for every future season.
What Does Co-Exclusive Mean?
Netflix is buying the right to carry the shows for a set period. It is not buying The Walking Dead itself. AMC can keep the same catalog on AMC+, which is why the agreement is described as co-exclusive instead of exclusive.
AMC had already said this was the arrangement it wanted. During the company's first-quarter earnings call in May, management said the existing rights would return in January 2027 and that it was talking with several major streaming services. AMC CEO Kristin Dolan said keeping some of the content co-exclusive was a priority.
The $500 million price comes from Deadline's reporting. Netflix and AMC had not posted their own public announcement confirming the amount when this draft was prepared.
Why Netflix Wants the Full Franchise
Netflix already knows people watch AMC shows on its service. AMC's previous Netflix package generated 210 million global views, according to figures shared by the company in 2025. After the first season of Dead City reached Netflix, AMC also recorded a large increase in viewers starting Season 2 on AMC+.
That earlier arrangement gave both companies something useful. Netflix received recognizable shows with many episodes, while AMC used Netflix's larger audience to introduce people to newer seasons available on AMC+. The new deal extends that relationship around AMC's biggest franchise.
For Netflix, the value comes from the size of the library. Someone can begin with Rick's first day in the hospital, watch all 11 seasons, and then continue with Maggie, Negan, Daryl, Michonne, or the Fear cast. It works for first-time viewers and people returning to episodes they watched years ago.
What Happens to New Walking Dead Shows?
AMC still decides whether new seasons and spinoffs get made. The licensing agreement only controls where finished episodes can stream. It does not give Netflix the power to renew or cancel an AMC series.
Dead City began its third season on AMC and AMC+ in July 2026. AMC has also confirmed that Daryl Dixon will return for a fourth and final season in 2027. The deal does not announce another season of The Ones Who Live or a revival of the original series.
Viewers should get a more stable place to watch the franchise after 2027, but the latest episodes may still follow separate release windows. The reported price shows how valuable The Walking Dead remains: sixteen years after its first episode, Netflix is willing to spend half a billion dollars to keep the full TV catalog available.
