The Batman sets cable debut at TNT as part of Halloween Programming slate across Food Network, Discovery Channels
Warner Bros. Discovery is getting into the spooky spirit early, setting the Halloween-themed programming slate for its cable networks, which includes the linear debut of Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” as well as new and returning specials and film marathons across Food Network, Discovery Channel, TNT, TBS, TCM, Travel Channel and Cartoon Network/Adult Swim.
Food Network Halloween
The leader in Warner Bros. Discovery’s Halloween-themed programming game, Food Network is bringing back four popular series and two specials, including “Halloween Baking Championship,” “Halloween Wars,” “Outrageous Pumpkins,” “Halloween Cookie Challenge” and “Kids Baking Championship: Bloodcurdling Bakes.”
TNT and TBS Halloween
The cable debut of “The Batman” on TNT will air as part of a curated Halloween-themed film block across both TNT and TBS in September and October, with TNT showing “Godzilla,” “The Mummy” and a “Scream” movie marathon, and TBS airing “Beetlejuice,” “Gremlins” and “Goonies.”
Discovery Channel Ghost Adventures
On Discovery Channel, paranormal investigators Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Jay Wasley and Billy Tolley will appear in the two-hour special “Ghost Adventures: Devil Island” on September 27th. The channel will also air five new episodes of “Ghost Adventures” beginning October 4th with a spinoff companion series, “Ghost Adventures: Screaming Room,” debuting October 18th. Additional spooky Discovery series airing September through October include “Expedition X,” “Schock Doc: Yeti Massacare” and “Expedition Bigfoot.”
Turner Classic Movies October Horror
Over on TCM (which has received much programming attention from Warner Bros. Discovery since backlash to downsizing at the network in June), a “Creepy Cinema” collection of features will air every Tuesday beginning October 3rd. The films will be introduced by actor Mario Cantone and TCM host Ben Mankiewicz. Beginning October 6th, the network also will spotlight Gothic movies each Friday and will add its “Creepy Comedies” lineup to the schedule on Sunday, October 29th. “TCM’s Terror-Thon” will air for 48 hours straight October 30th-31st.
Cartoon Network Scoobtober
Cartoon Network will be airing a month-long “Scoobtober” event featuring “Scooby-Doo”-themed programming beginning October 1st. A Halloween-themed episode of “Teen Titans Go!” will premiere October 7th.
Travel Channel Ghostober
Starting in September, Travel Channel will feature new seasons and episodes of Zak Bagans and Eli Roth’s terrifying film anthology series “The Haunted Museum,” “Jack Osbourne’s Night of Terror,” “Paranormal Caught on Camera,” “The Dead Files” and “The Ghost Town Terror.”
“Food Network’s Halloween lineup grows network ratings by more than 50 percent when series like ‘Halloween Wars,’ ‘Outrageous Pumpkins,’ ‘Halloween Cookie Challenge’ or ‘Kids Baking Championship: Bloodcurdling Bakes’ hit the air and lead right into the holiday season — serving as a valuable gateway for the network since every single Halloween series that we put on hits the top five in ratings,” Warner Bros. Discovery chairman and chief content officer of US Networks Group Kathleen Finch told Variety. “We’re employing a similar strategy with networks across our portfolio because we see seasonal content as a big opportunity to grow audience share in Q4.”
Finch added, “We’ve seen a tremendous upside to including seasonal programming as part of our portfolio’s content strategy — if it makes sense for an individual brand. We don’t force it. We look for authentic, organic ways to build an audience by delivering content that they can’t resist, and it works.”
