Discovery Channel, often shortened to Discovery, is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. which has been responsible for airing seasons of BattleBots since the show returned from hiatus in 2018.
In July 2017, Discovery's offshoot, Science Channel, began airing the first two reboot BattleBots seasons, which initially premiered on ABC in 2015 and 2016 respectively.[1] The show was then picked up by the Discovery Network in February 2018, and developed a brand new season filmed in April, and premiered in May 2018. As well as this, episodes of the spin-off BattleBots Resurrection were streamed through Discovery's website and later uploaded to Discovery's YouTube channel.
The network created around the Discovery name means BattleBots has typically been distributed globally by broadcasters in relevant regions. Throughout World Championship III select episodes on the Science Channel featured a 'bonus battle' which was shown exclusively on the Science Channel. An extended 'encore episode' would later air, including the entire fight card and Science Channel exclusive battles. For World Championship IV, all sixteen episodes also had a bonus battle.
Science Channel Bonus Battles[]
In 2020, BattleBots announced a deal with Discovery to produce a brand new side series which would initially air exclusively on discovery+, the network's streaming service. BattleBots: Bounty Hunters was released in line with World Championship V, and eventually also aired on the main Discovery channel too.
The series would receive a sequel in August 2021, as the first series of BattleBots: Champions plugged the gap between seasons despite being filmed in line with World Championship VI. BattleBots: Champions I was not exclusive to discovery+, but aired a day earlier on the streaming service than on television. According to BattleBots co-founder Greg Munson, sister network TBS would begin broadcasting BattleBots in line with the seventh reboot season in 2023.[2] He also confirmed BattleBots: Champions II, a sequel to the previous season's summer competition which would follow the newly-named World Championship VII. As of January 2023, the official Discovery YouTube channel began uploading fights in their entirety.
Internationally, multiple offshoots of Discovery have been launched worldwide to appeal to international audiences, many of which have aired various seasons of BattleBots. Discovery-owned channels such as DMAX and Turbo have also been responsible for airing BattleBots in regions of Europe and Latin America respectively.[3]
Televised Seasons[]
The following seasons of BattleBots have premiered on Discovery:
| Season | Discovery Premiere |
|---|---|
| World Championship III | 2018 |
| BattleBots Resurrection * | |
| World Championship IV | 2019 |
| World Championship V | 2020 |
| BattleBots: Bounty Hunters | |
| World Championship VI | 2022 |
| BattleBots: Champions I | |
| World Championship VII | 2023 |
| BattleBots: Champions II |
* BattleBots Resurrection was only available through Discovery's website and YouTube channel.
Televised Specials[]
As well as the main seasons, Discovery began airing compilation series in 2023.
| Season | Discovery Premiere |
|---|---|
| BattleBots: Nastiest Knockouts | 2023 |
| BattleBots: Most Outrageous Moments |
Outside BattleBots[]
Discovery[]
Launching as The Discovery Channel in 1985, it has largely featured reality television series such as Man vs. Wild, Unsolved History and Mythbusters. The channel kept its name until a rebranding in 1995. A regular feature of the channel has been Shark Week, which has heavily featured shark-based programming and advertising every summer since 1988. In April 2022, it was announced that Discovery would merge with Warner Bros. to form the Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. conglomerate. However, the network announced that the merger would again split, effective from mid-2026.[4]
Science Channel[]
Science Channel's logo since 2016.
Science Channel, known as Science and abbreviated to SCI, is an offshoot of Discovery network which launched in October 1996. As its name suggests, the channel focuses on science programming and has undergone several name changes over the years, previously going under the names Discovery Science Network and Discovery Science Channel. A high definition version of the channel launched in September 2009.
discovery+[]
discovery+'s current logo.
Discovery+, stylized as discovery+, is the network's subscription-based streaming service which originally launched in India in March 2020, before launching in the United States in January 2021.[5] Following the formation of Warner Bros. Discovery in April 2022, discovery+ is expected to merge with HBO Max in 2023.[6]
Turbo[]
The channel's logo since 2009.
Turbo , also known as Discovery Turbo, is a paid television channel with a focus on transport. It originally launched in Latin America in 2005, before becoming available in the United Kingdom in 2007. A year later, Turbo launched in much of Asia as well as Australia, but did not launch in India until 2010. Under the name Discovery Turbo, the channel launched in New Zealand in 2015 before finding its way to Japan in 2018. In much of Europe, the channel is known as DTX or Discovery Turbo Xtra.
DMAX[]
DMAX's logo since its initial launch.
DMAX is a free-to-air television channel also owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, which launched in Germany in 2006. The channel's content largely revolves around men's hobbies. Following its success, it became available in the United Kingdom in 2008 before being launched across Europe. The channel replaced the Asian branch of Discovery Turbo when it launched in the Asia-Pacific market in July 2014.
International Offshoots[]
- Discovery Canada
- Warner Bros. Discovery Americas (Discovery Latin America)
- Discovery Channel Europe
- Discovery Channel (UK and Ireland)
- Discovery Channel (Bulgaria)
- Discovery Channel (Denmark)
- Discovery Channel (Estonia)
- Discovery Channel (Finland)
- Discovery Channel (Flanders)
- Discovery Channel (France)
- Discovery Channel (Germany)
- Discovery Channel (Hungary)
- Discovery Channel (Italy)
- Discovery Channel (Latvia)
- Discovery Channel (Netherlands)
- Discovery Channel (Norway)
- Discovery Channel (Poland)
- Discovery Channel (Portugal)
- Discovery Channel (Russia)
- Discovery Channel (Serbia)
- Discovery Channel (Slovenia)
- Discovery Channel (Spain)
- Discovery Channel (Sweden)
- Discovery Channel (Turkey)
- Discovery Channel (Australia and New Zealand)
- Discovery Channel Middle East and North Africa
- Discovery Channel Southeast Asia
- Discovery India
See Also[]
References[]
- ↑ https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/battlebots-cancelled-no-season-three-science-channel-air-episodes/
- ↑ https://behindthebots.podbean.com/e/battlebots-season-7-reveal-with-battlebots-cofounder-greg-munson/
- ↑ https://battlebots.com/local/
- ↑ https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/09/warner-bros-discovery-to-split-into-two-public-companies-by-next-year.html
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery%2B
- ↑ https://support.discoveryplus.com/hc/en-gb/articles/5315639450001-Will-HBO-Max-and-discovery-become-one-service-
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