AMC warns about a 'Walking Dead' blackout

Fans of critically acclaimed drama series "The Walking Dead" are pawns in the latest battle between parent channel AMC and DirecTV – but it's nothing they're not used to.

Averaging 15 million viewers a week, the zombie thriller carries a lot of weight with die hard fans. Cutting the cord over a contract renewal could spell subscriber suicide for DirecTV, something AMC knows and has used in similar battles with DishTV before.

CNN reports AMC is using the "Dead" as leverage: on Sunday night it ran an ad during the show warning about a possible blackout later in the season.

Naturally, both sides blame each other.

One thing is clear, if a deal isn't reached soon, DirecTV fans could lose their Sunday-night zombie fix mid-season.

Read more from CNN.