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Murder Mystery May Drives Acorn TV to the Most Successful Month In Its History
Inaugural Month-Long Programming Event Delivers Record Engagement, Record Viewership - With More Than 20 Million Hours Watched - And A Multi-Year High In Subscriber Acquisition
NEW YORK - June 17, 2025 - Acorn TV's inaugural Murder Mystery May, a month-long programming event featuring an expansive array of new series and film premieres, drove the streaming service to the biggest month in its history, with record engagement, record viewership and a multi-year high in subscriber acquisition.
Total hours watched surpassed 20 million for the first time in Acorn TV history, with unique engaged subscribers also achieving an all-time high, up double digits from the streamer's average over the past 12 months. New subscription sign-ups hit a four-year high, up 70 percent from the prior 12-month average, and social engagement hit a year-to-date high, up double digits from prior year.
"We are thrilled with the response to our first ever month-long celebration of Acorn TV and the engrossing mysteries, drama and detectives that have captivated subscribers for more than a decade," said Courtney Thomasma, executive vice president of linear and streaming products for AMC Networks. "A big thank you to the incredible cast of characters who came together to bring this expanded mystery slate to life for our fans in new and innovative ways - and, of course, to everyone who came along to enjoy the thrills along with us! We are excited to make this an annual tentpole event for our members going forward."
Programming highlights for the month included new seasons of top Acorn franchises The Brokenwood Mysteries and Harry Wild, starring Jane Seymour, which both posted growth from prior seasons; new Welsh mystery The One That Got Away, starring Richard Harrington (Hinterland), which ranks among Acorn TV's top 10 most watched new series of all time; Acorn TV's #1 foreign language premiere of all time with the new Irish-Gaelic mystery Boglands, and significant continuing interest in established favorites like London Kills and Agatha Raisin, both hitting multi-year highs in viewership.
The month-long event also leveraged the strength of AMC Networks' other platforms including an Acorn TV Mystery pop-up collection on AMC+; a "Murder Mystery May" Sampler Pack featuring the first seasons of favorite Acorn TV series free on partner platforms for the month; an Acorn TV sponsored "Sherlock Holmes Day" on BBC America; Harry Wild Mother's Day marathon on SundanceTV; a special advance fan screening and live watch party of the Harry Wild season 4 premiere on YouTube; and a robust on-air promotional campaign running across AMC Networks linear portfolio hosted by resident crime nut "Murder Mystery" Mae (D'Arcy Carden).
Murder Mystery May is an annual event marking Acorn TV's biggest month of mystery premieres. This precedes a robust year of programming across the streamer which will exclusively host the premieres of new, highly anticipated Acorn TV Original dramas Art Detectives starring Stephen Moyer, Nina Singh, Sarah Alexander and Larry Lamb; Irish Blood starring Alicia Silverstone, Wendy Crewson, Jason O'Mara, Dearbhla Molloy, Simone Kirby, Ruth Codd and Leonardo Taiwo; and Murder Before Evensong starring Matthew Lewis and based on the first novel in the Sunday Times best-selling series by British author the Reverend Richard Coles. Returning fan-favorites this year include Sally Lindsay's beloved The Madame Blanc Mysteries, the long-running Midsomer Murders franchise, and much more.
About Acorn TV
AMC Networks' Acorn TV is North America's largest streaming service specializing in premium British and international television. Acorn TV adds exclusive programming every week to a deep library of quirky mysteries, engaging thrillers, and gripping crime dramas - all commercial-free. Acorn TV's recent slate is comprised of acclaimed commissioned and original series including popular UK detective drama Harry Wild (Jane Seymour), Signora Volpe (Emilia Fox), The Chelsea Detective (Adrian Scarborough), New Zealand detective series My Life Is Murder (Lucy Lawless), acclaimed Irish crime thriller Bloodlands (James Nesbitt, co-executive produced by Jed Mercurio), British crime drama Whitstable Pearl (Kerry Godliman), Kiwi romantic comedy Under the Vines (Rebecca Gibney, Charles Edwards) and British detective drama Dalgliesh (Bertie Carvel), to name a few. Current and upcoming Acorn TV Original Series include crime drama Art Detectives (Stephen Moyer), Irish Blood (Alicia Silverstone), Murder Before Evensong (Matthew Lewis), Allie & Andi (Brooke Shields) and many more. The above add to a growing catalog of popular bingeable dramas including Jack Irish (Guy Pearce), Doc Martin (Martin Clunes), Deadwater Fell (David Tennant, Cush Jumbo) and all 24 seasons of fan-favorite Midsomer Murders, among others.
"... glorious streaming service... an essential must-have" - The Hollywood Reporter
"Netflix for the Anglophile" - NPR
Acorn TV is available for $8.99/month or $89.99/year. Facebook: OfficialAcornTV - Twitter: @AcornTV - Instagram: @Acorn_tv
About AMC Networks
AMC Networks (Nasdaq: AMCX) is home to many of the greatest stories and characters in TV and film and is the premier destination for passionate and engaged fan communities around the world. The Company creates and curates celebrated series and films across distinct brands and makes them available to audiences everywhere. Its portfolio includes targeted streaming services AMC+, Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now, ALLBLK and HIDIVE; cable networks AMC, BBC AMERICA (which includes U.S. distribution and sales responsibilities for BBC News), IFC, SundanceTV and We TV; and film distribution labels including Independent Film Company and RLJE Films. The Company also operates AMC Studios, its in-house studio, production and distribution operation behind acclaimed and fan-favorite original franchises including The Walking Dead Universe and the Anne Rice Immortal Universe; and AMC Networks International, its international programming business.
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