It’s here. After its hugely successful launch in the US, the next phase of AMC Networks’ roll out of its Acorn TV subscription video on demand service launches in the UK today(Wednesday April 29). In this special one-off edition of The Raygun, we profile the service and preview some of its offerings, as well as analysing its US launch and Acorn’s plans to market and publicise the service to UK consumers…

 

With more than 1 million subscribers in the US, Acorn TV has gone well beyond either Acorn or parent AMC Networks’ wildest dreams, wooing viewers with a winning combination of comedy, crime and drama. And this year has seen even more American viewers flocking to the service and its British and international flavours. As Acorn Media International md Stuart Shaw said: “Acorn TV is doing phenomenally well in the US. We surpassed one million paid subscribers last autumn and are achieving record setting growth for the service in 2020.” The success of Acorn TV in the US has shown the appetite for Acorn’s ever-growing library of quality TV programming and has also helped provide learning’s for the April 29 launch. As Stuart Shaw noted: “There is a growing fanbase for high quality mysteries and dramas worldwide, so we’re thrilled to share the very best in global television with UK viewers. From the US service, we’ve cultivated a great sense for our audience and their likes, which should translate very well to UK subscribers.”

 

Acorn TV joins the rapidly expanding AMC Networks family, with subscription video on demand services targeting different sectors, such as Shudder, the horror offering that, like Acorn TV, spans different territories and is a truly international service. “We’re thrilled to be part of the AMC Networks family,” says Acorn Media International md Stuart Shaw. “Acorn TV and the rest of AMC’s SVODs remain a key part of AMC’s future plans.”

 

Acorn TV’s launch comes at a time when the UK is still under lockdown, giving it an unexpected and timely boost to the launch, although it was merely a coincidence. Although, as figures from analysts and researchers, as well as media around the country have noted, this is a perfect time for subscription video on demand services, with streaming being the perfect companion for being stuck at home, with record figures, it was always the plan to launch acorn TV in the late spring/early summer on these shores. “Our plan was always to launch in April/May,” said Stuart Shaw, “so the only thing affected was we had hoped to do a launch event with the cast/creators of Queens of Mystery.”

 

The UK launch of Acorn TV will build on many of the lessons learned from the US success story, while the way consumers have seized upon some of the service’s specially commissioned programming, has proved that Acorn is working along the right lines. “The launches will be very similar,” said Stuart Shaw. “As we did with Acorn TV in the US, the UK will launch will a select group of curated series and grow every Monday with new additions.” He continued: “It’s extremely gratifying that some of the past year’s most successful series with US subscribers have been Acorn TV commissioned series like British mystery Queens Of Mystery and British crime drama London Kills as well as wonderful classic series like Foyle’s War.” 

 

Queens Of Mystery is a key part of the launch strategy, original homegrown programming that gives Acorn TV its own USP and points a way forward for the service, as well as providing a hook for marketing and PR activity. Acorn’s joint head of marketing Helen Squire said: “Queens of Mystery will be our first premiere title in the UK. It’s an Acorn TV original series and is a contemporary, warm-hearted spin on the classic whodunit tale. It follows a perennially single female detective Matilda and her three crime-writing aunts, who help her solve murder mysteries in the picturesque Kent countryside. It’s underpinned by an intriguing back story – the mysterious disappearance of Mathilda’s mother. It’s a lovely, quirky and colourful programme and it’s already been nominated for an Emmy in the US and Series 2 is already in development.”

 

The exclusivity is key for launch, as Helen Squire noted, saying: “Acorn Originals and exclusive premieres are at the heart of our offer so naturally it feels right to launch the service with something really special. We’re looking to serve audiences with homegrown and international dramas as well as a whole host of favourite dramas that they cannot stream elsewhere.”

 

The involvement of some of the team behind Queens Of Mystery in the PR campaign has given an extra boost to the launch PR. “Our PR campaign has already kicked off with interviews with the cast from Queens of Mystery across many of the print media with lots more to come over the next few weeks and months,” said Helen Squire. Gaining TV, radio and press coverage is not easy during the Coronavirus crisis, with ever-changing priorities, shifting schedules and reduced pagination, but there have already been full-page features in the likes of the Sunday Express and People, the Mirror online and their Scottish counterparts. There’s press running with the Press Association, and coverage across magazines such as Yours and Woman’s Weekly. Further opportunities come from guest stars such as soap queen Michelle Collins, who appears in a forthcoming episode of Queens Of Mystery (as a singer in an outing entitled Death By Vinyl), with the star giving interviews to the likes of Daily Mail Weekend. Expect radio appearances around the Queens show too. Debbie Murray, who is looking after the PR at Aim Publicity said: “With the ever-changing Coronavirus situation, we’ve had to be creative in terms of where we look to achieve coverage. The cast have been very supportive giving their time, we’ve been working with key cast such as Julie Graham, Sarah Woodward and Siobhan Redmond, who’ve all been great.” There’s further coverage surrounding the launch too, with national newspaper news pages covering the launch and the nationals’ TV supplements and TV listings magazines’ on demand coverage also heralding the arrival of Acorn TV.

 

The PR, of course, is just part of the overall marketing campaign, which includes plenty more activity.  "We have a highly targeted heavyweight marketing campaign running from this week across digital, social, TV and print," said Acorn's joint head of marketing Helen Squire. 

Of course, Acorn TV is about a lot more than just new exclusives such as Queens Of Mystery. It’s all about the vast library on offer too – let’s not forget key historic Acorn titles. And it’s also aiming to expand its horizons beyond the US and UK too. There’s a distinct international flavour to its opening slate, giving it a distinct global feel. “We’ll also be offering every series of Foyle’s War and Inspector George Gently as well as Agatha Christie dramas,” explained Helen Squire. “From further afield there will be a thrilling female led Finnish drama, Black Widows which will have subscribers on the edge of their seats.  As we bring more new shows to the service every week audiences will soon be enjoying television from the UK, Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and more.”

 

What of the rest of Acorn’s UK and international operations though? The aim is for Acorn TV to nestle alongside its other home entertainment activity, notably its thriving DVD and Blu-ray arm, widening consumer choice, giving them, as the current home entertainment mantra states, what they want, when they want it. As Acorn joint head of marketing Helen Squire, looking after the launch in the UK of Acorn TV stated: “Acorn has specialised in taking the best TV drama into people’s homes for the last 20 years.  Acorn TV provides another way for audiences to enjoy great television so we see the services as complimenting each other as well as expanding our reach. Recently Acorn have been producing shows that have been shown on other TV channels (eg Agatha Raisin, London Kills) before being released on DVD/EST by Acorn – now we can manage our shows through their entire lifecycle.”

 

For Acorn, it’s all about giving consumers the best in television. As Helen Squire concluded: “We will be working flat out to commission, produce and acquire the very best TV content for our audiences however they wish to enjoy it.”

 

And as for Acorn TV, after the UK, it aims to expand even further into other territories and expand its global reach. Acorn Media International md Stuart Shaw concluded: “Acorn TV continues to grow in various countries worldwide, so we’ll continue to focus on growing our content and subscriber base globally.”