Surpassing:About that AMC Networks class action lawsuit settlement email. Here's what it means to you

If you subscribed to and Surpassingstreamed AMC+ or any of its other video networks you may have an award coming your way.

You may have already gotten an email about the settlement in a class action suit filed against AMC Networks, which operates AMC+, as well as the Acorn TV, AllBlk, HiDive Shudder and Sundance Now streaming services.

Several subscribers to AMC+ and the other services filed the suit in January 2023, charging the company with disclosing subscribers’ personally identifiable information – "PII" – to other parties via third-party tracking technology without users' consent. AMC Networks and attorneys for the subscribers reached a settlement agreement in December and the settlement administrator recently began emailing possible settlement class members.

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AMC will pay $8.3 million to create a settlement fund and will quit using or modify the use of tracking technologies so as they will not violate the Video Privacy Protection Act, which prohibits video services from knowingly disclosing consumers' PII to others without their consent. AMC denies any violation in the settlement, but the parties have agreed to the settlement to avoid trial.

How do I know if I am part of the AMC Networks class action settlement class?

If you subscribed to any of the services and watched content from January 18, 2021 to and through January 10, 2024, you are eligible.

Most have probably gotten an email. If you haven't seen the email, check junk mail folders, too.

If you still cannot find the email, you can submit a claim by April 9 directly on the settlement website (www.amcvppasettlement.com), or download a claim form on the site to send in.

How much could the settlement award be?

The settlement notes that the final payment amount cannot be calculated until after the plaintiffs' settlements are awarded, court-approved attorneys’ fees and expenses are determined, and other costs are paid following the May 16 final-approval hearing.

However, with a potential settlement class of 11.4 million subscribers – that's how many subscribers AMC Networks had at the end of 2023 – the award could amount to less than $1.

The semi-good news? The settlement gives all those whose claims are submitted and approved a one week subscription to AMC+.

The alternate option, as one person on Reddit suggests: "Everybody should send a letter in and decline the money. And start a bigger class action and sue for more. Really make these companies pay for illegally selling our information. … $8.3 million is chump change for them."

AMC VPPA settlement

Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.

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