Back to Basic? AMC Launches MN Ads After Move to Digital

Operators shuffling basic cable nets to digital have once again struck a chord. AMC has launched a campaign in Minneapolis to get Comcast to put the net back on expanded basic after it was moved earlier this month. "Don’t let AMC be marooned," said an ad in the Minneapolis Star Tribune urging customers to call 1-888-AMC-4712. An operator connects callers with the MSO to voice complaints. Reps for AMC and Comcast said there’s no nationwide plan to move the channel to digital [it has moved to digital in a few other Comcast markets, including N Virginia (Cfax, 9/8)]. Local markets review lineup changes on an ongoing basis, and the Minneapolis change is "the beginning of an effort to standardize the digital cable lineup in that area," a Comcast spokeswoman said. AMC is still available on analog in St Paul, but given the plans for a standardized lineup, it sounds like that may change. The 2 are said to still be negotiating. A much noisier dust-up happened last year when Outdoor Channel spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on an ad campaign in 6 markets where Time Warner Cable was trying to drop it or move it to a digital sports tier. Outdoor’s 3-month campaign, which included a Website, paid off as the 2 reached a deal preserving the bulk of Outdoor’s carriage.