NEW YORK (AFP) - An animated television special featuring Michael Jackson will premiere this year for Halloween in the latest project by the estate of the late King of Pop.

The estate said Michael Jackson's Halloween will air on CBS in the United States around the Oct 31 holiday dedicated to the ghoulish and supernatural.

The estate added that it was in talks to broadcast the show abroad.

Since Jackson's sudden death in 2009, his estate has pursued projects to monetise the legacy of one of pop history's top-selling artistes.

Success has been mixed, with the estate putting up for sale his Neverland ranch in California after early talk of preserving it.

Two new albums of unreleased material have come out since Jackson's death but one of them, 2010's Michael, was marred by controversy over whether the singer would have wanted the unfinished music released or if he was even singing on all the tracks.