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 Final logo, used from 2015 to 2019 | |
 Headquarters at theCNN Center | |
| Formerly | Turner Communications Group (1965–1979) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | |
| Predecessor | Turner Advertising Company Rice Broadcasting Inc.[1] |
| Founded | May 12, 1965; 60 years ago (1965-05-12) |
| Founder | Ted Turner |
| Fate | Assetsdispersed to otherWarnerMedia/Warner Bros. Discovery divisions |
| Successors | |
| Headquarters | CNN Center,, United States |
Key people |
|
| Brands | |
| Parent | Time Warner (1996–2019) |
| Divisions | Turner Sports |
| Subsidiaries | |
| Website | turner.com (archived March 3, 2019) |
| Footnotes / references [3] | |
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.[4] was an American television andmedia conglomerate founded byTed Turner in 1965. Based inAtlanta, Georgia, it merged withTime Warner (later WarnerMedia) on October 10, 1996. As of April 2022, all of its assets were absorbed intoWarner Bros. Discovery (WBD). The headquarters of Turner's properties were largely located at theCNN Center inDowntown Atlanta, and the Turner Broadcasting campus off Techwood Drive inMidtown Atlanta, which also housesTechwood Studios. Some of their operations were housed within WBD's corporate and global headquarters inside30 Hudson Yards inManhattan'sWest Side district, and at230 Park Avenue South inMidtown Manhattan, both inNew York City, respectively.
Turner was known for several pioneering innovations in U.S.multichannel television, including its satellite uplink of local Atlantaindependent stationWTCG channel 17 asTBS—one of the first national "superstations", and its establishment of the Cable News Network (CNN)—the first 24-hournews channel. It later launched a sister cable network,TNT; the professional wrestling promotionWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW), the animation-centeredCartoon Network (which later spawned an adult-oriented night-time sister network in the form ofAdult Swim, as well as the classic-cartoon channelBoomerang), and the classic-movie channelTurner Classic Movies (TCM).Turner South—a network devoted toregional sports andsouthern lifestyle programming—was launched by Turner in 1999, but was later sold toFox Sports Networks in 2006 to formSportSouth. The same year, it acquiredLiberty Media's stake in their joint ventureCourt TV. WCW assets were later sold to theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 2001.
On June 14, 2018, Time Warner, including Turner Broadcasting System, was acquired by telecom firmAT&T and re-branded WarnerMedia. After the purchase, "Turner" was phased out as a corporate brand, and its properties were dispersed into either WarnerMedia Entertainment (TBS, TNT, andTruTV), WarnerMedia News & Sports (CNN,Turner Sports, andAT&T SportsNet), or brought directly underWarner Bros. (Cartoon Network,Adult Swim, andTurner Classic Movies). On August 10, 2020, the WarnerMedia Entertainment and Warner Bros. Entertainment assets were merged to form WarnerMedia Studios & Networks Group.[5][6]
As of 2020, AT&T reported the financial results for WarnerMedia's ad-supported cable networks under the Turner business unit,[7] while also using the term "the TNets" to refer to the group of TBS, TNT, and TruTV in press releases.[8][9][10] On April 8, 2022, WarnerMedia merged withDiscovery, Inc. to formWarner Bros. Discovery, and almost all of both companies' ad-supported cable networks were brought under the unit Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. continues to exist as an in-name-only subsidiary of WBD formally owning copyrights and holding contracts for former TBS assets.[11]
Turner Broadcasting System traces its roots to a billboard company inSavannah, Georgia, purchased by Robert Edward Turner II in the late 1940s.[12] Turner grew the business, which later became known as Turner Advertising Company.[12] Robert Edward Turner's son,Ted Turner, inherited the company when the elder Turner died in 1963.[12] After taking over the company, Ted Turner expanded the business into radio and television.[12]
Turner Broadcasting System was incorporated in Georgia on May 12, 1965.[13]
In 1970, Ted Turner purchased WJRJ-Atlanta, Channel 17, a small,Ultra High Frequency (UHF) station, and renamed it WTCG, for parent company Turner Communications Group.[14][15] During December 1976,WTCG originated thesuperstation concept, transmitting viasatellite to cable systems.[14]
HBO had gone to satellite transmissions to distribute its signal nationally in 1975, but that was a service that cable subscribers were made to pay extra to receive.[16] Turner's innovation signaled the start of the basic cable revolution.[17]
On December 17, 1976, at 1:00 pm, WTCG Channel 17's signal was beamed viasatellite to its four cable systems inGrand Island, Nebraska;Newport News, Virginia;Troy, Alabama; andNewton, Kansas. All four cable systems started receiving the 1948 Dana Andrews – Cesar Romero filmDeep Waters already in progress. The movie had started 30 minutes earlier. WTCG went from being a little television station to a majorTV network that every one of the 24,000 households outside of the 675,000 in Atlanta was receiving coast-to-coast. WTCG became what Turner labeled asuperstation, the forerunner of today's basiccable television.[16]
In 1979, the company changed its name from Turner Communications Group to Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.) and the call letters of its main entertainment channel to WTBS.[18]
On June 1, 1980,Cable News Network (CNN) was launched at 5:00 p.m.EDT becoming the first 24-hournewscable channel. The husband and wife team ofDave Walker andLois Hartnews anchored the first newscast.Burt Reinhardt, then executivevice president of CNN, hired most of the channel's first 200 employees and 25-member staff includingBernard Shaw, the network's firstnews anchor.
In 1981, Turner Broadcasting System acquiredBrut Productions fromFaberge Inc.[19]
Also in 1981, WTBS began its usage of "Turner Time" in June 1981, in which programming began at five minutes after the top and bottom of each hour, instead of the broadcasting norm of beginning at the top and bottom of the hour.
In 1984, Turner initiatedCable Music Channel, his competition forWASEC'sMTV. The channel was short-lived, but helped influence the original format ofVH1.
In 1986, after a failed attempt to acquireCBS, Turner purchased the film studioMGM/UA Entertainment Co. fromKirk Kerkorian for $1.5 billion.[20] Following the acquisition, Turner had an enormous debt and sold parts of the acquisition. MGM/UA Entertainment was sold back to Kirk Kerkorian.[21] TheMGM/UA Studio lot inCulver City was sold toLorimar-Telepictures.[22] Turner kept MGM's pre-May 1986 film and television library as well as theAssociated Artists Productions library (the pre-1950[23][24]Warner Bros. film library and theFleischer Studios/Famous StudiosPopeye cartoons originally released byParamount Pictures), and the U.S./Canadian distribution rights to theRKO Pictures library.Turner Entertainment Co. was founded on August 4, 1986.
Turner Program Services ("TPS"), a subsidiary under the Turner umbrella, began domestic syndication of all of the properties acquired under the final disposition of the MGM deal with Kerkorian. TPS inherited over 5,000 program orders (executed, letters of intent) to have domestic syndication agreements prepared and sent in order to "formally" contractually license films for airing on domestic, free-over-the-air television stations throughout the United States. The contractual "back-log" was caught up by the end of 1989, while still administering to all of a domestic television station's syndication needs. In 1987, top-rated television networkNBC was considered bidding for a piece of the company in an effort to enter the cable business, but the deal was never materialized.[25]
In 1989, TBS Management Company, under the leadership of Charles Shultz (Ted's first company controller at the original, small TV station), advanced the focus on the two music performing rights subsidiaries: one with Broadcast Music, Inc ("BMI") and ASCAP. In the space of 1989 to 1994, Turner went from 2 subsidiary music publishing companies to no less than sixteen.
On October 3, 1988, the company launchedTurner Network Television (TNT).[26]
Turner Broadcasting System expanded its presence in movie production and distribution, first with the 1991 purchase of theHanna-Barbera andRuby-Spears animation studios during a competitive bid withMCA/Universal,Hallmark Cards, and several other corporations.[27] On December 22, 1993, Turner Broadcasting System acquiredCastle Rock Entertainment. Turner Broadcasting System purchasedNew Line Cinema a month later.[28][29][30]
Turner Broadcasting System launchedCartoon Network on October 1, 1992, followed byTurner Classic Movies (TCM) on April 14, 1994.
In September 1995, Turner Broadcasting System began airingWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW)'sMonday Nitro on TNT, beginning theMonday Night War against theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF)'sMonday Night Raw. Three years later, TBS Superstation began airingWCW Thunder.
On October 10, 1996, Turner Broadcasting System merged withTime Warner, a company formed in 1990[31] by the merger ofTime Inc. and Warner Communications,[32] and which had held 20% of Turner Broadcasting System in the past.[33] Through this merger, Warner Bros. had regained the rights to its pre-1950 library, while Turner Broadcasting System gained access to the company's post-1950 library and other properties.
On April 1, 2000, Turner Broadcasting System launchedBoomerang as a sister channel to Cartoon Network featuring the classic cartoons that originally aired on Cartoon Network as the channel was gradually shifting its focus to original cartoons.
Time Warner Entertainment merged withAmerica Online (AOL) in 2001 to form AOL Time Warner, which was renamed back to the Time Warner name in 2004.
In March 2001,Jamie Kellner would officially succeed Ted Turner as head of Turner Broadcasting System.[34] One of Kellner's most notable actions after succeeding Turner was his decision to cancelWCW's television programs.[35]
In September 2001, Cartoon Network launchedAdult Swim as an adult-oriented programming block that would air at midnight when Cartoon Network's target demographic would be asleep. It would go on to be very successful. Since 2005, Adult Swim is considered its own network according toNielsen due to Adult Swim and Cartoon Network's differing demographics.
In 2002, Turner started a joint venture withZee Entertainment Enterprises known as Zee Turner for distribution of their channels in India.
In 2003, Philip I. Kent succeededJamie Kellner as chairman. Operational duties forThe WB were transferred byTime Warner fromWarner Bros. to Turner Broadcasting during 2001, while Kellner was chairman, but were returned to Warner Bros. in 2003 with the departure of Kellner.
On January 1, 2004, Turner launchedPogo in India as a sister channel toCartoon Network India. The channel is exclusive to South Asia.
On February 23, 2006, Turner agreed to sell the regional entertainment channelTurner South toFox Entertainment Group.[36] Fox assumed control of the channel on May 1, and on October 13 relaunched it asSportSouth – coincidentally, the former name ofFox Sports South when Turner owned this channel in partnership withLiberty Media between 1990 and 1996.[37]
In May 2006, Time Warner, which had owned 50% of Court TV since 1998, purchased the remaining 50% from Liberty Media and began running the channel as part of Turner Broadcasting. The channel was relaunched asTruTV on January 1, 2008.
Also in May 2006, Ted Turner attended his last meeting as a board member of Time Warner and officially parted with the company.[38]
On October 5, 2007, Turner Broadcasting System completed the acquisition of Claxson Interactive Pay Television Networks in Latin America.[39][unreliable source?]
On March 2, 2009, Turner launchedReal, the company's first Hindi GEC, in India as a joint venture between it and Alva Brothers Entertainment, which it had partnered with before for content onCartoon Network India andPogo TV. The joint venture was known as Real Global Broadcasting. The channel shut down in March 2010, lasting for a year due to low viewership.
On December 8, 2009, it was announced that Turner had bought a majority stake in NDTV Imagine Ltd. fromNDTV, for $117 million, as the company's own channel, Real had failed.[40] NDTV Imagine Ltd. was previously a joint venture betweenNDTV andNBCUniversal. Turner then went on to acquire 92% of NDTV Imagine Ltd. which includedNDTV Imagine,NDTV Lumiere,Imagine Showbiz and NDTV Imagine Pictures.[41] Turner dropped the NDTV branding from the channels. Turner soldImagine Showbiz toReliance Broadcast Network in 2011.
On August 26, 2010, Turner Broadcasting took full control of Chilevisión, a television channel owned by thePresident of ChileSebastián Piñera.[42]
On September 8, 2011, Turner Broadcasting System acquiredLazyTown Entertainment, the producer of the TV seriesLazyTown.[43]
On April 12, 2012, it was announced that Turner would shut downImagine TV, formerly NDTV Imagine, as the channel struggled for ratings amidst competition from rival Hindi entertainment channels.[40] By 12 May 2012, Imagine TV was shut down in India.[44]Lumiere Movies, formerly NDTV Lumiere, was shut down in July along withTCM India.[45]
On January 1, 2014, John K. Martin succeeded Phil Kent as chairman and CEO of Turner Broadcasting.[46]
In August 2014,The Wrap reported that Turner was preparing to offer buy-outs to 550 employees as part of plans to restructure the company heading into 2015. The ratings performance of CNN and HLN were cited as a factor, whileCBSSports.com reported that the rising rights fees Turner pays forits NBA broadcasts on TNT may have also been a factor.[47][48] It was further reported in October 2014 that the company planned to reduce its workforce by 10% (1,475 people) through layoffs across a wide set of units including corporate positions.[49]
On August 14, 2015, it was announced that Turner Broadcasting had acquired a majority stake iniStreamPlanet, a Las Vegas-based video streaming services company, in an effort to bolster itsover-the-top programming and shift its core technology infrastructure to the cloud. iStreamPlanet is a direct competitor ofMajor League Baseball Advanced Media. The deal was reported to be in the neighborhood of $200 million.[50] In October 2015, Turner launched a streaming-video network namedGreat Big Story.[51]
In April 2017, in order to expedite the sale of Time Warner toAT&T by shedding FCC-licensed properties,WPCH-TV was sold toMeredith Corporation, which had already been operating WPCH under alocal marketing agreement since 2011 as a sister to its localCBS affiliateWGCL-TV.[52] Turner Podcast Network was formed within Turner's content distribution division in June 2017, with Tyler Moody being named general manager and vice president of the unit.[53]
On March 22, 2018,Six Flags and Riverside Group announced a partnership with Turner Asia Pacific to bring attractions based onTuzki and other Turner-owned IPs to its theme parks in China.[54]
On June 15, 2018, it was announced that John Martin would be leaving as CEO following AT&T's completed acquisition of Time Warner.[55] By September, AT&T had transferred itsAudience channel, a group ofregional sports networks plus stakes inGame Show Network andMLB Network to Turner fromAT&T Communications.[56][failed verification]
In December 2018, Turner Broadcasting sold the rights to the brand and its pre-2008 original programming library of defunct cable networkCourt TV (which relaunched astruTV in 2008) toKatz Broadcasting, with plans to re-launch it as an over-the-air digital network in May 2019.[57][58]
On March 4, 2019, AT&T announced a major reorganization of its broadcasting assets that would effectively break-up Turner Broadcasting System. Its assets are to be dispersed across multiple units of WarnerMedia, including the newly created WarnerMedia Entertainment and WarnerMedia News & Sports. WarnerMedia Entertainment would consist ofHBO, TBS, TNT, TruTV, and anupcoming direct-to-consumer video service (led by formerNBC entertainment chiefRobert Greenblatt), while WarnerMedia News & Sports would consist of CNN, Turner Sports, and theAT&T SportsNet regional networks (which would be led by CNN Worldwide presidentJeff Zucker). Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Boomerang, and Turner Classic Movies would be moved under Warner Bros. Entertainment via what would become the formerly operated "Global Kids & Young Adults" business unit.[59][60] Although AT&T did not specify any timetable for the changes, WarnerMedia had already begun to remove references to Turner Broadcasting in corporate communications, with press releases referring to its networks as being "divisions of WarnerMedia". However, the Turner logo was still used at its building inAtlanta,Georgia until it was removed in October 2019.[61]
On August 10, 2020, WarnerMedia restructured several of its units in a major corporate revamp that resulted in TBS, TNT and TruTV being brought back under the same umbrella as Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, Boomerang and TCM, under a consolidation of WarnerMedia Entertainment and Warner Bros. Entertainment's respective assets that formed the combined WarnerMedia Studios & Networks Group unit. Casey Bloys—who has been with WarnerMedia since 2004 (as director of development at HBO Independent Productions), and was eventually elevated to President of Programming at HBO and Cinemax in May 2016—added oversight of WarnerMedia's basic cable networks and HBO Max to his purview.[5][6][62] Turner was subsequentlyreincorporated in Delaware on December 30.[63]
On April 8, 2022, WarnerMedia was divested by AT&T and merged withDiscovery, Inc. to formWarner Bros. Discovery (WBD). All linear networks owned by the company, besides CNN, Turner Sports, HBO, andMagnolia Network, are overseen by Kathleen Finch as head of Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks,[64][65][66] which resulted in Brett Weitz being removed as general manager of TBS, TNT, and TruTV after 14 years with the networks.[67] The News and Sports division was also split up into separate CNN Worldwide and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports divisions, with the latter being renamed toTNT Sports in 2023 but also including Discovery's sports properties such asEurosport.[65][66]
In 2025, WBD announced it will split into two companies, resulting in Warner Bros. streaming and studios entity assuming TCM, while Discovery Global would acquire the remaining linear TV networks including CNN, TNT, and TBS.[68][69][70][71][72][73] Later on December 5, Netflixannounced that they would be buying the Warner Bros. streaming and studios company for $72 billion after the split closes in the third quarter, valuing WBD at $82.7 billion. whileParamount Skydance andComcast launched the bids of their own.[74][75]
Note: These assets were temporarily part of Turner Entertainment Networks & Warner Bros. underWarnerMedia Studios & Networks within the WarnerMedia era.
An (*) indicates the assets was once part ofWarner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics.
