TNT Sports (formerly known as Turner Sports from 1995 to 2022, and as Warner Bros. Discovery Sports from 2022 to 2023) is the division of
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) that is responsible for
sports broadcasts on its parent company's streaming service
Max and on their various cable channels in the United States, including
TBS,
TNT, and
TruTV. It also operates the online digital media outlets for the
NCAA,
NBA,
PGA Tour, and
PGA of America. TNT Sports also operates the sports news website
Bleacher Report, as well as
NBA TV on behalf of the NBA. It also owns a minority share in the
MLB Network.
It began in 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. Then following
AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner in 2018, 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., and Turner Sports was subsequently renamed Warner Bros. Discovery Sports. The division was then rebranded to TNT Sports in fall 2023.[4]
Internationally, the division was branded as Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe following the merger with Discovery, which operated
Eurosport. Following a rebrand in 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe is set to rebrand the international division as TNT Sports International, making both divisions known as TNT Sports.
History
As Turner Sports
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]
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]
As TNT Sports
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 an
as-yet-unnamed sports streaming bundle, including the three organizations' main linear sports channels and associated media rights, beginning in fall 2024.[9]
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.[10]
Selected first and second round games (on TNT primarily on days when not airing the NBA, depending on which league begins their postseason first or if both leagues start their playoffs at roughly the same time; TBS may broadcast on any day when not airing MLB or AEW wrestling; first round co-exists with regional broadcasts)
One exclusive conference finals series per season (
ESPN/ABC has first choice as to which conference to air,[13] TNT then broadcasts the other series).
Exclusive
Stanley Cup Finals (odd-numbered years on TNT; TBS and truTV may also air simulcasts or alternative broadcasts).
NHL Awards (odd-numbered years on TNT; alternates with ESPN).
Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight split between TBS and CBS
Final Four in 2014 and 2015 on TBS
Final Four and National Championship in even-numbered years from 2016 until 2032 (except 2020 due to
COVID-19 pandemic in the United States) (airs on
TBS; TNT and truTV may also air simulcasts or alternative broadcasts)
NBA HBCU Classic (2021–present)
Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic (2021–present)
Hall of Fame Series (2023–present)
ELeague (Turner Sports/WME-IMG Partnership, since 2016)[14][15]
Motor Trend VELOZ TV (Spanish-language
FAST streaming channel)
TNT Sports Interactive properties
NCAA.com
Starting with the 2010–11 academic year and continuing through 2031–32, Turner has digital rights to all NCAA championships across all divisions in all sports except football. Under the deal, Turner also manages NCAA.com.[20][21]
In February 2019, Turner announced a deal with casino operator
Caesars Entertainment Corporation to open a Bleacher Report studio in the sportsbook at
Caesars Palace to produce sports betting programming and gaming-related editorial content. The new studio is expected to begin distributing this content by early summer 2019.[22]