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Turner Broadcasting System

From Alfawiki
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryMass media
FoundedMay 12, 1965; 61 years ago (1965-05-12) in Georgia, United States
FounderTed Turner
FateMerged with Time Warner in 1996; assets now under Warner Bros. Discovery
SuccessorWarner Bros. Discovery (nominal subsidiary)
Headquarters
Atlanta, Georgia
,
United States
Area served
United States, international
Key people
Casey Bloys (President and Head of Programming), Gerhard Zeiler (President of Warner Bros. Discovery International)
ProductsCable television networks including TBS, TNT, CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Boomerang, Turner Classic Movies, TruTV, WCW (until 2001)
OwnerWarner Bros. Discovery
ParentWarner Bros. Discovery

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. was a prominent American media enterprise established by businessman Ted Turner in 1965, with its headquarters located at the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The company merged with Time Warner (which later became WarnerMedia) in 1996, and as of 2022, its holdings are under the ownership of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). Operations were conducted across several locations, notably Atlanta and New York City.

Turner was a trailblazer in the multichannel television arena, launching the national superstation TBS from the local independent station WTCG and introducing the first-ever 24-hour news network, CNN. Its network lineup grew to include channels like TNT, Cartoon Network (featuring adult programming through Adult Swim and classic content on Boomerang), as well as Turner Classic Movies. The company also ventured into regional sports with Turner South, which was eventually sold to Fox Sports Networks, and acquired Liberty Media’s interest in Court TV (later renamed TruTV). Additionally, Turner owned the professional wrestling brand World Championship Wrestling (WCW) until its sale to WWE in 2001.

Following AT&T’s acquisition of Time Warner in 2018 and its rebranding as WarnerMedia, Turner’s assets were distributed among different divisions: WarnerMedia Entertainment (including TBS, TNT, TruTV), WarnerMedia News & Sports (encompassing CNN and Turner Sports), and Warner Bros. (covering Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and TCM). In 2020, the WarnerMedia Entertainment division merged with Warner Bros. Entertainment to create WarnerMedia Studios & Networks Group.

From a financial standpoint, AT&T categorized Turner’s advertising-supported cable networks within the "Turner" segment through 2020, often referring to TBS, TNT, and TruTV collectively as "the TNets." After the 2022 merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery, Inc., most ad-supported cable channels were consolidated under Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks. Currently, Turner Broadcasting System exists primarily as a nominal subsidiary responsible for managing copyrights and contractual agreements related to its former properties.

Notable executives included Casey Bloys (President and Head of Programming) and Gerhard Zeiler (President of Warner Bros. Discovery International). Turner's visionary leadership and innovative business strategies secured a substantial position in the global entertainment and cable television markets.

Early history

The origins of Turner Broadcasting System trace back to a billboard enterprise based in Savannah, Georgia, which Robert Edward Turner II acquired during the late 1940s. His son, Ted Turner, took over the business in 1963 and expanded its scope into radio and television broadcasting. The formal incorporation of Turner Broadcasting System occurred in Georgia on May 12, 1965.

1970s

In 1970, Ted Turner acquired WJRJ-Atlanta on Channel 17 and rebranded it as WTCG under his Turner Communications Group. By December 1976, WTCG became a pioneer in the superstation concept by distributing its broadcast signal via satellite to cable providers nationwide—an innovation that transformed basic cable television distribution. This approach enabled WTCG to extend its reach beyond Atlanta to approximately 24,000 households nationwide, establishing a novel cable network business model.

The first satellite transmission of WTCG's signal to four cable systems across the United States occurred on December 17, 1976, marking its evolution from a regional broadcaster into a national network. In 1979, the company adopted the name Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), with its flagship entertainment channel changing its call sign to WTBS.

1980s

On June 1, 1980, CNN debuted as the pioneering 24-hour cable news network, with Dave Walker and Lois Hart serving as its inaugural anchors. The original team, including the network's first news anchor Bernard Shaw, was recruited by executive vice president Burt Reinhardt.

In 1981, Turner Broadcasting System purchased Brut Productions from Faberge Inc. That year also saw WTBS introduce "Turner Time," a unique programming approach that began shows five minutes past each hour to distinguish its schedule.

The Cable Music Channel was launched by Turner in 1984 to rival MTV; although it was short-lived, it played a role in shaping VH1’s programming style.

After an unsuccessful attempt to acquire CBS in 1986, Turner acquired MGM/United Artists Entertainment Co. for $1.5 billion. Due to significant debt burdens, Turner sold portions of MGM/UA back to Kirk Kerkorian and transferred the Culver City studio lot to Lorimar-Telepictures. Nonetheless, Turner retained ownership of MGM's film and television library produced before May 1986, the Associated Artists Productions library—which included Warner Bros. films made prior to 1950 and Popeye cartoons—and the U.S. and Canadian distribution rights to the RKO Pictures collection. Turner Entertainment Co. was founded on August 4, 1986.

Turner Program Services (TPS), a subsidiary, oversaw the domestic syndication of acquired MGM properties, fulfilling over 5,000 program orders to license films freely to U.S. over-the-air stations. By 1989, TPS had formalized these licensing agreements while continuing its syndication efforts. In 1987, NBC explored purchasing a stake in Turner as a means of entering cable television but ultimately decided against it.

From 1989 through 1994, under Charles Shultz’s direction, Turner expanded its music publishing subsidiaries from two to sixteen entities, concentrating on collaborations with Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) and ASCAP.

On October 3, 1988, Turner broadened its cable network offerings by launching Turner Network Television (TNT).

1990s

Turner Broadcasting System strengthened its film production and distribution capabilities by acquiring animation studios Hanna-Barbera and Ruby-Spears in 1991, outbidding competitors such as MCA/Universal and Hallmark Cards. Toward the end of 1993, Turner further enhanced its content portfolio by acquiring Castle Rock Entertainment and New Line Cinema.

Cartoon Network was introduced on October 1, 1992, followed by the launch of Turner Classic Movies (TCM) in April 1994. In September 1995, TNT began broadcasting World Championship Wrestling's Monday Nitro, sparking the Monday Night War rivalry against WWE’s Monday Night Raw. Later on, TBS Superstation incorporated WCW Thunder into its programming schedule.

On October 10, 1996, Turner Broadcasting merged with Time Warner—a company itself formed from the earlier merger of Time Inc. and Warner Communications in 1990—which already held a 20% interest in Turner. This consolidation combined extensive content libraries: Warner Bros. regained rights to its pre-1950 catalog while Turner acquired access to post-1950 properties, thereby enhancing both companies’ market presence and content assets.

2000s

Turner Broadcasting System launched Boomerang on April 1, 2000 as a companion channel to Cartoon Network, focusing primarily on classic animated shows while Cartoon Network shifted its emphasis toward original programming.

In 2001, Time Warner merged with AOL to form AOL Time Warner; however, the company reverted to the Time Warner name in 2004. Jamie Kellner succeeded Ted Turner as head of Turner Broadcasting System in March 2001 and notably discontinued WCW television programs.

September 2001 marked the debut of Adult Swim, an adult-targeted late-night block on Cartoon Network airing at midnight; this block achieved considerable success and was eventually classified by Nielsen as a separate network due to its distinct audience demographics.

Turner expanded internationally through a joint venture with Zee Entertainment Enterprises in 2002 named Zee Turner for channel distribution within India. In 2004, it introduced Pogo, an exclusive South Asian channel affiliated with Cartoon Network India.

Philip I. Kent replaced Jamie Kellner as chairman in 2003. That same year saw operational control of The WB return from Turner Broadcasting back to Warner Bros.

On February 23, 2006, Turner agreed to sell regional channel Turner South to Fox Entertainment Group; Fox rebranded it as SportSouth later that October. In May of that year, Time Warner obtained full ownership of Court TV from Liberty Media and integrated it into Turner Broadcasting; this channel was rebranded as TruTV in 2008.

Ted Turner's direct involvement concluded when he officially resigned from Time Warner’s board in May 2006.

On October 5, 2007, Turner finalized acquisition of Claxson Interactive Pay Television Networks in Latin America, broadening its market footprint across the region.

In March 2009, through a partnership with Alva Brothers Entertainment (Real Global Broadcasting), Turner launched Real, its first Hindi general entertainment channel targeting the Indian market; however, due to low ratings, the channel ceased operations by March 2010.

Following Real’s closure, on December 8, 2009 Turner purchased a majority stake in NDTV Imagine Ltd. for $117 million. Previously a joint venture between NDTV and NBCUniversal, NDTV Imagine Ltd.’s portfolio included NDTV Imagine, NDTV Lumiere, Imagine Showbiz, and NDTV Imagine Pictures. After acquisition, Turner rebranded these channels and later sold Imagine Showbiz to Reliance Broadcast Network in 2011.

2010s

On August 26, 2010, Turner Broadcasting finalized the acquisition of Chilevisión, a Chilean TV channel that had been under the ownership of President Sebastián Piñera.

Turner broadened its content holdings on September 8, 2011, by purchasing LazyTown Entertainment, the company behind the children's television series LazyTown.

In April 2012, Turner discontinued Imagine TV in India due to poor viewership amid intense market competition. By July of the same year, both Lumiere Movies and TCM India were also closed.

John K. Martin took over as chairman and CEO of Turner Broadcasting on January 1, 2014, succeeding Phil Kent. Later that year, Turner announced significant staff reductions—initially proposing voluntary buyouts to 550 employees and ultimately eliminating about 10% of its workforce (roughly 1,475 jobs)—citing factors such as underwhelming performance from CNN and HLN alongside escalating NBA broadcast rights costs.

On August 14, 2015, Turner acquired a controlling interest in iStreamPlanet, a streaming technology firm based in Las Vegas, for approximately $200 million. This move aimed to enhance Turner's over-the-top (OTT) content delivery capabilities and accelerate its shift toward cloud-based infrastructure. Subsequently, in October 2015, Turner introduced Great Big Story, a streaming-video network designed to expand its digital content portfolio.

In April 2017, Turner sold WPCH-TV to Meredith Corporation as part of facilitating AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner. That June, Turner launched the Turner Podcast Network within its content distribution division, appointing Tyler Moody as general manager and vice president.

March 2018 saw Turner Asia Pacific collaborate with Six Flags and Riverside Group to develop theme park attractions in China based on intellectual properties owned by Turner.

Following AT&T’s acquisition of Time Warner, John Martin announced his resignation as CEO in June 2018. By September, AT&T transferred ownership of the Audience channel, regional sports networks including AT&T SportsNet, and stakes in Game Show Network and MLB Network to Turner.

In December 2018, Katz Broadcasting acquired the Court TV brand along with its pre-2008 programming library from Turner for relaunch as an over-the-air digital network scheduled for May 2019.

On March 4, 2019, AT&T revealed a corporate restructuring that effectively dissolved the Turner Broadcasting System. Its assets were reassigned across WarnerMedia divisions: WarnerMedia Entertainment (encompassing HBO, TBS, TNT, truTV, and HBO Max), WarnerMedia News & Sports (including CNN, Turner Sports, AT&T SportsNet), and Warner Bros. Entertainment’s "Global Kids & Young Adults" segment (covering Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Boomerang, and Turner Classic Movies). Although corporate communications phased out the Turner brand by early 2019, the logo remained displayed at its Atlanta headquarters until October that year.

2020s

On August 10, 2020, WarnerMedia underwent reorganization by consolidating networks such as TBS, TNT, TruTV, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, Boomerang, and TCM under the WarnerMedia Studios & Networks Group umbrella. Casey Bloys—who had been with WarnerMedia since 2004 and served as President of Programming for HBO and Cinemax since 2016—expanded his responsibilities to include oversight of basic cable channels and HBO Max. Additionally, Turner Broadcasting was officially reincorporated in Delaware on December 30, 2020.

On April 8, 2022, AT&T divested WarnerMedia by merging it with Discovery, Inc., creating Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). Kathleen Finch assumed leadership of all linear networks except CNN, Turner Sports, HBO, and Magnolia Network. This transition led to Brett Weitz stepping down as general manager of TBS, TNT, and TruTV after a tenure of fourteen years. The News and Sports division was divided into CNN Worldwide and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports; the latter was rebranded as TNT Sports in 2023 and integrated Discovery’s sports properties such as Eurosport.

Assets reassigned to Warner Bros.

Assets moved to Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Assets transferred to Warner Bros. Television Studios

Assets reassigned to Warner Bros. Television Studios UK

Assets reassigned to Warner Bros. Discovery Networks

(Note: These properties were previously part of Turner Entertainment Networks & Warner Bros. within WarnerMedia.)

An (*) denotes former holdings of Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics.

Under The Cartoon Network, Inc.

Entertainment Group

Closed operations

  • Cable Music Channel – discontinued television channel
  • CNN+ – Spanish joint venture with Sogecable, ceased in 2010
  • CNNfn – defunct financial news channel
  • CNN/SI – defunct sports news channel
  • FilmStruck – discontinued streaming platform
  • HBO South Asia
  • Mondo Mah-jong TV (Japan)
  • Studio T – defunct production entity
  • Super Deluxe – closed entertainment company
  • Tabi Tele (Japan)
  • TCM South East Asia
  • Toonami Channel (Asia)
  • Toonami India
  • WB India
  • Real (TV channel) (India)
  • Imagine TV (India)

Disposed assets

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