Assuming that they have fixed costs, do you honestly think that they would retain half or more of their current subscriber base without being bundled with cable packages?
Until Breaking Bad and Mad Men, nobody - nobody - cared about AMC. They were that crappy high-40s channel that you flipped through on your way to interesting stuff. Take into consideration the fact that Mad Men and Breaking Bad - AMCs two crown jewels - are about to wrap up. Also consider that they're subsidized by the tens of millions of people who subscribe to basic cable but don't care about their content.
Until Breaking Bad and Mad Men, nobody - nobody - cared about AMC. They were that crappy high-40s channel that you flipped through on your way to interesting stuff. Take into consideration the fact that Mad Men and Breaking Bad - AMCs two crown jewels - are about to wrap up. Also consider that they're subsidized by the tens of millions of people who subscribe to basic cable but don't care about their content.