AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead’ to be the latest test ground for 6-second ads

Six-second TV spots will soon get perhaps their biggest audience test yet when AMC begins attaching the ad format to the front end of new episodes of “The Walking Dead.”

Starting with the second episode of season eight airing on Oct. 29, AMC will begin slapping on a 6-second spot right at 9 p.m. EST as the airing of the previous episode ends and leads into the new episode. The network will do the same thing for episodes 3 through 8, leading up the midseason finale, according to Adweek.

As the report pointed out, the network has just begun speaking with buyers about the spots and will be asking a higher CPM rate for the ad placement.

RELATED: Fox readies 6-second ads for broadcast television

AMC joins broadcasters like Fox and digital platforms like YouTube in experimenting with the much shorter ad format.

In August, Fox partnered with Duracell and Mars to begin inserting 6-second ads into both live broadcasts and on-demand streams. The ads, which ran during the Teen Choice Awards, are part of Fox’s tests to see how the ad format might fit into its broader marketing mix.

“We’re excited to work with Duracell and other brands to boost the impact and awareness of their campaigns through a truly innovative mix of ad formats on Fox. While brands have been experimenting with 140 characters for quite some time, now we are introducing a way to do so with the sound, motion and full-screen experience of broadcast television,” said Suzanne Sullivan, executive vice president of entertainment sales at Fox Networks Group, in a statement.

Interestingly, as AMC Networks is experimenting with shorter ad forms, the company also recently began offering an ad-free version of its flagship network to Comcast subscribers. AMC Premiere runs $4.99 per month and features livestreams of shows like “The Walking Dead.”