Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Time for ‘BattleBots’ to return to TV

It’s been nearly eight years since the robot-fighting show “BattleBots” has aired. And I think it’s overdue for a return to TV.
Unfortunately the BattleBots rights holders can’t seem to reach an agreement with a TV network to air its competitions.
In BattleBots tournaments, teams operate remote-controlled, armored machines that try to disable or dominate their robot opponents. A show based on the tournaments aired on Comedy Central from August 2000 to November 2002, according to Wikipedia.
I’d like to see “BattleBots” return to TV. The competitions are fun and the show could interest kids in careers in engineering and technology, including robotics.
In recent years, BattleBots officials have announced deals with ESPN and CBS College Sports Network, only to see them fall through. In December 2009, BattleBots said it had a deal with Fox Television Studios, but no word since then.
I pinged the BattleBots folks on Twitter recently with the tweet “Hey, @battlebots. Is BattleBots ever going to return to TV?”
A representative responded Monday “We’re out there trying.”
I wish them luck.

Update: “BattleBots” returned on June 21, 2015, for a six-episode sixth season on ABC.

Photo: Combat robots in action from BattleBots Facebook page.

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