Viewers seeking classic movies in the coming weeks may not be able to access TCM as they usually do.
In an X post on Friday, host Ben Mankiewicz asked viewers to “pardon our digital dust” while TCM upgrades and expands its broadcasting operations.
Details on how long the pauses will last, its benefits and what time of day the activities would take place were not revealed.
“The best fans and the best movies deserve the best service. So to ensure TCM’s on-air experience is reliable and smooth for the foreseeable future, we are upgrading our broadcasting operations,” Mankiewicz said in the video announcement. “You might notice some interruptions while we go through this process, so please, bear with us.”
TCM was launched in 1994 by Ted Turner. The channel programs classic theatrical films from the Turner Entertainment Co. library, including movies from Warner Bros. from before 1950, MGM and the North American rights to RKO Pictures. It also licenses from other studios.
In 2023, an executive shakeup led to some concerns about TCM’s future, which caused consternation among Hollywood execs. Directors Martin Scorsese, Paul Thomas Anderson and Steven Spielberg were among those who met with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav to voice their enthusiasm for TCM.
The subsequent appointments of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy were viewed as a vote of confidence in the channel, with the trio of above filmmakers said to be engaged in an “active collaboration” with the channel.
