Roughly a year after potential partnership and acquisition deals with Starz seemed to fizzle, the network is back in talks with AMC. It doesn’t hurt that the network can claim The Walking Dead, the biggest show on cable.

Bloomberg reports that AMC is taking another look at acquiring Starz, the programmer with Outlander, Blunt Talk, Power, Survivor’s Remorse and the upcoming Ash vs Evil Dead. The deal might result in an acquisition or merger of some sort, its sources said. But if combined, AMC and Starz would be able to leverage more negotiating power with pay-TV companies in the ongoing battle against cord cutters.

Starz, the networks group that includes Starz and Encore, had a list of potential buyers last year as well, but no deal came to fruition. This might be because of different opinions over the valuation of Starz, which seems to have risen since last year’s deals were on the table.

AMC Networks has also been expanding, with channels AMC, IFC, SundanceTV and WE tv being joined by part ownership in BBC America last October. Adding a premium movie channel group like Starz could add to its negotiating power in the future, especially as the Starz originals lineup expands.

Read more at Bloomberg.

Brief Take: A premium channel like Starz would give AMC a leg up in the cable domain, competing with media companies like CBS and Time Warner who already have their own premium channels, Showtime and HBO.

[Image courtesy of Starz]

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