Time Warner

Time Warner was founded in 1990 through the merger of Time Inc. and Warner Communications, bringing together publishing, film, television, and cable under one roof to create one of America's largest media conglomerates.

At its peak, the company controlled HBO, CNN, Warner Bros., Time magazine, and Turner Broadcasting, serving hundreds of millions of consumers across print, cable, and film worldwide.

Headquartered in New York City, Time Warner was acquired by AT&T in 2018 and no longer exists as an independent company.

Time Warner History

• 1990
  Time Inc. and Warner Communications complete a $14 billion merger to form Time Warner, creating one of the largest media companies in the world at the time.
• 1996
  Time Warner acquires Turner Broadcasting System for $7.5 billion, adding CNN, TNT, TBS, and the Cartoon Network — plus the Atlanta Braves and Hawks — to its portfolio.
• 2001
  AOL and Time Warner complete a $165 billion merger, the largest in US history at the time, but it quickly unravels as the dot-com bubble bursts and AOL's value collapses.
• 2009
  Time Warner spins off AOL as an independent company, formally ending one of the most expensive corporate mergers in history and allowing both firms to restructure separately.
• 2018
  AT&T completes its $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner, renaming it WarnerMedia; it later merges with Discovery in 2022 to form Warner Bros. Discovery.

FAQs

• Who owns Time Warner?

  Time Warner no longer exists independently. AT&T acquired it in 2018 for $85 billion and renamed it WarnerMedia. In 2022, AT&T spun it off and merged it with Discovery to create Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD).
• Is Time Warner an American company?

  Yes. Time Warner was an American media conglomerate founded in 1990 and headquartered in New York City. It was listed on the NYSE and owned major US brands including HBO, CNN, Warner Bros., and Time magazine.
• When did Time Warner come out?

  Time Warner was formed on January 10, 1990, through the merger of Time Inc. and Warner Communications. It ceased to exist as an independent company in June 2018 when AT&T completed its acquisition.
• Who made the Time Warner logo?

  Time Warner's iconic eye logo — a stylized letter W forming an abstract eye — was designed by Steff Geissbuhler of Chermayeff & Geismar in 1990 for the newly merged company. It remained in use until the AT&T acquisition.