TNT is one of the most recognized names in American cable television — home to blockbuster dramas, live NBA basketball, AEW wrestling, and decades of iconic entertainment.
But right now, in the first week of October 2026, the ownership of TNT is in the middle of the most dramatic corporate transformation in the history of American media.
A deal worth $110 billion is closing in just two days — on October 6, 2026 — and when it does, TNT will have a brand-new owner for the first time in over three decades.
What Is TNT?
TNT — originally an abbreviation for Turner Network Television — is an American basic cable and satellite television channel owned by the Turner Entertainment Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery.
It launched on October 3, 1988, making it one of the longest-running cable networks in American television history.
TNT’s programming focuses on drama series, feature films, and live sports — including NBA basketball games, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League Final, and AEW Dynamite. Its daytime schedule features reruns of major network police procedural dramas, and it maintains one of the strongest brand identities in all of basic cable television.
Who Owns TNT Right Now in 2026?
As of today, TNT is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ: WBD) — a global media and entertainment company headquartered in New York City.
Specifically, TNT sits within Turner Entertainment Networks, which is the division of Warner Bros. Discovery that operates cable channels including TNT, TBS, TruTV, and CNN.
However — and this is the biggest “however” in American media this year — Warner Bros. Discovery is in the final hours of being acquired by Paramount Skydance.
The merger is expected to close on October 6, 2026. The combined company has just been named Skydance, announced by CEO David Ellison on October 2, 2026. That means TNT’s owner is about to officially change in two days.
Ownership and Key Stakeholders Table
| Owner / Party | Role | Stake | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) | Current Direct Owner of TNT | 100% of TNT | Owns TNT through Turner Entertainment Networks division |
| Paramount Skydance (NASDAQ: PSKY) | Incoming Owner (closing Oct 6, 2026) | Acquiring 100% of WBD for $31/share | $110.9 billion deal announced February 27, 2026 |
| David Ellison (Skydance) | Incoming CEO of combined company | Controlling shareholder of Skydance | Named the combined entity “Skydance” on October 2, 2026 |
| Vanguard Group | Largest Institutional WBD Shareholder | Significant WBD stake | Major passive index fund holder of WBD shares |
| David Zaslav | Current CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery | Large personal WBD stake | Walking away with ~$550M golden parachute after merger closes |
| Luis Silberwasser | Chairman & CEO of TNT Sports | Management role | Runs TNT Sports division day-to-day |
| Turner Broadcasting System | Historical Owner (1988–2019) | Formerly 100% of TNT | Ted Turner’s original company; acquired by Time Warner in 1996 |
| AT&T | Former Owner (2018–2022) | Fully exited April 2022 | Owned WBD through WarnerMedia; spun it off in April 2022 |
The Origin Story: Ted Turner and the Birth of Cable Television
The story of TNT begins with one of the most colorful figures in American business history — Ted Turner, the Atlanta-based media maverick who believed cable television could change the world.
Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) originally created TNT on October 3, 1988. The channel’s original purpose was to air classic films and television series to which Turner Broadcasting maintained rights through its sister channel TBS.
Ted Turner had spent the 1970s and 1980s building a cable empire from a struggling Atlanta billboard company — launching CNN in 1980, Headline News in 1982, and acquiring the MGM/UA film library in 1986 to guarantee a steady supply of classic movies for his channels.
TNT was the next logical step — a premium cable channel that could carry Turner’s growing entertainment assets.
It launched with the phrase “TNT — We Know Drama” and quickly built a reputation for high-quality scripted content that differentiated it from basic broadcast television.
On September 22, 1995, Time Warner agreed to acquire Turner Broadcasting System and all its properties — including TNT, TBS, CNN, Headline News, and Cartoon Network — for $7.5 billion. That deal closed in 1996 and ended Ted Turner’s independent ownership of the networks he had built.
The Corporate Journey: From Time Warner to Warner Bros. Discovery
After the Time Warner acquisition in 1996, TNT has passed through several more rounds of corporate ownership — each time as part of a larger media empire rather than as a standalone asset.
Time Warner merged with AOL in a disastrous $182 billion deal in 2001 — one of the worst corporate mergers in history — and then de-merged in 2009 as AOL Time Warner broke apart. TNT remained with the surviving Time Warner entity throughout this turbulent period.
In June 2018, AT&T completed its $85.4 billion acquisition of Time Warner, renaming the media assets WarnerMedia. TNT now sat inside a telecommunications giant that also owned the AT&T wireless network and DirecTV — an uncomfortable pairing that never quite made strategic sense.
On April 8, 2022, AT&T divested WarnerMedia by merging it with Discovery Inc. to form the current entity — Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ: WBD).
Under CEO David Zaslav, WBD suspended original scripted drama development at TNT and TBS in April 2022 as it evaluated the cable channels’ future strategy, pivoting them toward sports and acquired programming.
The Biggest Deal in Media History: Paramount Buys Warner Bros. Discovery
The most dramatic chapter in TNT’s ownership history is happening right now — in real time.
On June 9, 2025, Warner Bros. Discovery announced plans to break up the company, separating its streaming and studio assets (to be called Warner Bros.) from its linear cable networks (to be called Discovery Global — which would have included TNT, TBS, CNN, HGTV, and Food Network).
Before that breakup could happen, Paramount Skydance — led by David Ellison, son of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison — launched an aggressive bid for the entire WBD company.
After a dramatic bidding war with Netflix (which had offered $82.7 billion for just the studio and streaming assets), Paramount Skydance offered $31 per share for the entirety of Warner Bros. Discovery — valuing the total deal at approximately $110.9 billion including debt.
Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders approved the deal in April 2026. Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery announced on February 27, 2026 that the merger had been agreed.
The deal faced legal challenges — attorneys general from 12 states sued to block it in July 2026 — but those challenges were ultimately cleared.
On October 2, 2026 — just two days ago — David Ellison announced on X that the combined company will be called Skydance. The merger is expected to close on October 6, 2026.
When it does, TNT will officially be owned by Skydance — a company that owns Paramount, Warner Bros., HBO Max, CBS, CNN, MTV, Comedy Central, TBS, and TNT all under one roof.
What Happens to TNT After the Merger?
The practical impact on TNT as a channel in the short term is expected to be minimal. Ellison has said that the Paramount and Warner Bros.
brand names will remain central to the combined company — and TNT’s programming, including its sports deals and drama library, continues as planned. The NBA rights, AEW Dynamite, and UEFA coverage all remain in place.
The longer-term strategic question is whether TNT as a linear cable channel will be combined, rebranded, or restructured as part of Skydance’s broader content strategy — particularly given the ongoing industry shift from cable toward streaming.
HBO Max (owned by WBD) and Paramount+ will both be part of the new Skydance empire, creating significant overlap in streaming content that will need to be rationalized.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Who owns TNT in 2026?
TNT is currently owned by Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) through its Turner Entertainment Networks division, though it is being acquired by Paramount Skydance on October 6, 2026.
Q2. Who founded TNT and when?
TNT was launched on October 3, 1988 by Ted Turner through his company Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) as a classic film and television cable channel.
Q3. What is the upcoming TNT ownership change in 2026?
Paramount Skydance is acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery — including TNT — in a $110.9 billion deal closing October 6, 2026. The combined company will be named Skydance.
Q4. Who is the new CEO of the company that will own TNT?
David Ellison, founder of Skydance and son of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison, will serve as CEO of the newly named Skydance company after the merger closes.
Q5. Has TNT ever been owned by AT&T?
Yes. AT&T owned TNT from 2018 to 2022 through its WarnerMedia subsidiary, before spinning off the media assets to form Warner Bros. Discovery in April 2022.
Q6. What sports does TNT air in 2026?
TNT airs NBA basketball games, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League Final, and AEW Dynamite professional wrestling.
Q7. Who is the CEO running TNT’s sports division?
Luis Silberwasser serves as Chairman and CEO of TNT Sports, the division of Warner Bros. Discovery responsible for sports broadcasts on TNT, TBS, and TruTV.
Q8. How much did Paramount pay to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery and TNT?
Paramount Skydance offered $31 per share for all of Warner Bros. Discovery, valuing the total deal at approximately $110.9 billion including assumed debt — announced on February 27, 2026.
TNT is currently owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ: WBD), operating through its Turner Entertainment Networks division.
TNT was originally launched on October 3, 1988 by Ted Turner’s Turner Broadcasting System, was acquired by Time Warner for $7.5 billion in 1996, passed to AT&T via its $85.4 billion WarnerMedia acquisition in 2018, and became part of Warner Bros. Discovery when AT&T spun off its media assets in April 2022.
As of October 2, 2026, all of Warner Bros. Discovery — including TNT — is being acquired by Paramount Skydance in a deal worth approximately $110.9 billion, closing on October 6, 2026.
The combined company will be named Skydance, announced by incoming CEO David Ellison just two days ago. When that deal closes, TNT will have its most significant ownership change in nearly 30 years.