MGM rebrand to AMC from 1 December

AMC Networks International – Zone has announced the rebranding of MGM channel to AMC from 1 December 2014.

The rebranding is part of the global rollout of AMC, one of the most popular and award-winning brands in television.

Apart from the golden oldies and great modern movies that MGM is known for, AMC will also offer exclusive original series from AMC Studios, including the upcoming premier of The Divide, a gritty legal thriller centered on a sensational murder case and Game of Arms, an unscripted series exploring the highly competitive world of American arm-wrestling.

The channel will also feature acclaimed movies from some of the world’s biggest film libraries including the MGM library.

AMC will remain on DStv Premium, Compact Plus, Compact, Family, Access packages and on DStv channel 140.

Here’s more on the series you can expect on AMC:

The Divide
The Divide premieres on 5 January 2015 at 20:00, with new episodes every week.

The Divide is an eight-episode series written by the Academy Award and Emmy nominated Richard LaGravenese (Behind the Candelabra, The Fisher King, Water for Elephants, The Ref, The Bridges of Madison County), with Tony Goldwyn (The Fixer, Conviction, Justified, Damages, Dexter, A Walk on the Moon) directing the premiere episode. Co-created by LaGravenese and Goldwyn, the series is produced by AMC studios.

The Divide is a thought-provoking and suspenseful drama that explores the personal cost of morality, ambition, ethics, politics, and race in today’s justice system through the eyes of Christine Rosa played by Marin Ireland (Homeland, Boss, Side Effects), an impassioned caseworker with The Innocence Initiative, and Adam Page played by Damon Gupton (The Newsroom, Prime Suspect), an equally passionate district attorney and political rising star.

LaGravenese and Goldwyn also serve as executive producers along with Emmy award winnerJohn Tinker (The Practice, Chicago Hope) as the show-runner, and co-executive producer,Andrew Sugarman (Shopgirl, Conviction).

Game of Arms
AMC’s unscripted series Game of Arms is a look inside the raw world of American arm wrestling. The series follows the members of five regional arm wrestling clubs in Erie, PA, Kansas City, KS, New York, NY, Sacramento, CA and Baton Rouge, LA. Game of Arms not only focuses on the technique and skill in this high-stakes world, but also the family, careers and personal struggles of each man outside of the sport. Each episode features a dramatic regional match, leading to a tournament finale where the entire cast will compete for prize money and bragging rights.

The series hails from Matt Renner and Ethan Prochnik, the Emmy Award-winning producers ofDeadliest Catch, and executive producer Dan Ilani, their partner in Undertow Films.

Game of Arms premieres on 2 December 2014 at 20:00, with new episodes through to 16 December 2014. After the Christmas break, there will be a Game of Arms triple-bill to start on Saturday, 3 January 2015 to give viewers the chance to catch-up with all the action and from 6 January 2015 new episodes will start.