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Sports division of Warner Bros. Discovery (Broadcasting) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
TNT Sports is the division of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) in the United States that is responsible for sports broadcasts on its parent company's streaming service, Max, and primarily the TruTV, TBS, and TNT cable channels. The division also operates the online digital media outlets for the NCAA, NBA, PGA Tour, and PGA of America; the sports news website Bleacher Report; NBA TV, on behalf of the NBA; and also owns a minority share in the MLB Network.
| |
| Formerly | TBS Sports (1981–1995) Turner Sports (1995–2022) Warner Bros. Discovery Sports (2022–2023) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Division |
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Genre | Sports |
| Predecessor | WarnerMedia News & Sports (2019–2022) Discovery Sports (2001–2022) |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia |
Key people | Luis Silberwasser (Chairman and CEO, TNT Sports)[1][2] Andrew Georgiou (President, WBD Sports Europe) |
| Brands | TNT Sports Eurosport |
| Services |
|
| Parent | Turner Broadcasting System (1979–2019) WarnerMedia (2019–2022) Warner Bros. Discovery (2022–present) |
| Website | wbd (United States) discoverysports (Europe) |
TNT Sports' formation dates back to the 1970s as the sports division of Turner Broadcasting System's basic cable networks, with separate TNT Sports and TBS Sports brands for TNT and TBS, respectively. A unified Turner Sports brand was then introduced in 1995, followed by Turner Broadcasting merging into Time Warner in 1996. Following AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner in 2018 (which would become WarnerMedia), Turner Sports was combined with CNN and AT&T SportsNet into a new division known as WarnerMedia News & Sports.[3]
In 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery was formed after AT&T spun off WarnerMedia, and the latter merged with Discovery, Inc.. WarnerMedia News & Sports was subsequently merged with the Discovery Sports division to form Warner Bros. Discovery Sports. The division would adopt its current branding in Fall 2023.[4]
Following the formation of WBD, the company's international sports operations were branded "Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe", or simply "WBD Sports". These properties include Eurosport, as well as the TNT Sports channels in the UK.
The division began in the 1970s as the sports division of Turner Broadcasting System's basic cable networks, with separate TBS Sports and TNT Sports brands for TBS and TNT, respectively. In 1995, a unified Turner Sports rebranding began to be used, accompanied by an intro and outro sequence featuring the voice of CNN Headline News anchor Don Harrison and music from Edd Kalehoff. In 1996, Turner Sports became a division of Time Warner after it merged with Turner Broadcasting System.
Turner Broadcasting also owned WPCH-TV, the former WTBS, which was the longtime television home for Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves. The relationship with WPCH ended after the 2013 season, and the station itself was sold in 2017.
In August 2012, Turner Sports acquired the sports news website Bleacher Report for $175 million.[5]
In 2018, Turner Sports launched a subscription streaming service as a branch of Bleacher Report, known as B/R Live; it would be anchored by Turner's recently-acquired rights to the UEFA Champions League, while also featuring content from the NCAA, NBA League Pass, and others.[6]
Following AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner in 2018, it was announced in March 2019 that the Turner Broadcasting System would be dissolved, and its assets dispersed into Warner Bros. and two new units. Turner Sports was combined with CNN and the AT&T SportsNet regional sports networks into a new division known as WarnerMedia News & Sports, led by CNN president Jeff Zucker.[3]
In October 2020, Turner Sports announced a partnership with DraftKings to be the exclusive provider of daily fantasy and sports betting information for most Turner Sports and Bleacher Report properties, excluding the NBA due to its league-wide deal with competitor FanDuel.[7]
In 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery was formed with the spin-off of WarnerMedia by AT&T, and its merger with Discovery, Inc. Turner Sports was then renamed as Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, with the brand also being used for the division that manages Discovery's existing European and international sports assets such as Eurosport, Golf Digest, and Global Cycling Network.[8]
In January 2024, WBD officially rebranded the entirety of the division as TNT Sports. The brand had already been used for Turner Sports' networks in Latin America, and had also recently been introduced to the United Kingdom as a rebranding of BT Sport (after WBD acquired a controlling stake in the broadcaster).[8]
On February 6, 2024, WBD announced a joint venture with ESPN Inc. and Fox Sports to offer a sports streaming bundle, named Venu Sports, including the three organizations' main linear sports channels and associated media rights, beginning in fall 2024. Though it's launch was later temporarily blocked in August 2024 by a preliminary injunction in the midst of anti-trust lawsuit aganist the venture by FuboTV.[9][10]
On March 7, 2024, WBD announced a new evening and primetime block for TruTV focused on TNT Sports content beginning on March 11. This will include alternate broadcasts of sporting events carried by its sister networks, as well as new studio shows, and sports-related documentaries and films. The division's vice president Luis Silberwasser stated that the block would give TNT Sports a more "consistent" and "comprehensive" presence on its networks.[11]
^D denotes deceased.
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