Everyone knows about the TNT channel, one of the oldest and most reputable television channels, most known for their restoration and rendering of numerous old movies, but for their making of many contemporary television dramas as well. We thought of bringing you a short history of the TNT television, because many of us grew up watching this channel, thus being one of our first contacts with old cinema. That being said, TNT was first established in 1988, and its name stands for Turner Network Television, and it is owned by Turner Broadcasting System, which is a subsidiary of Time Warner.
The usual programing that TNT television focuses on are feature films, television series and other dramatic programing, but it also shows NBA basketball games and other professional sports events. The first program to show on TNT was the classical 1939 movie Gone With the Wind, a movie for which Ted Turner had rights. Apparently, this was his favorite movie of all times, and it was also the first one to run on a sister channel some years later; thus, when the Turner Classic Movies was launched, it too began with Gone With the Wind.
In the first years, TNT television focused on showing older movies, but soon after they started producing their own original dramas as well, mainly under the form of television series. Other things for which the network is famous are its renditions of movies from the Metro Goldwyn-Mayer library, namely movies from before 1986. There was even a controversy when TNT started showing colorized versions of original black and white movies, but some people actually appreciated that and started watching older movies they’d have never paid attention to.
As time passed, the TNT television changed profiles several times; current programs started mingling with older movies, and the channel also showed cartoons, sports events, television shows and dramas. They even picked up series which other networks canceled and gave them a shot at closure at least, such as what happened with the sci-fi drama Babylon 5. Other series for which TNT is known are Dallas, Falling Skies, Supernatural, The Mentalist, Smallwille, Castle, and many others.
Today, this network also produces a great part of its programming, and its viewers can watch a balanced combination of old movies, new TV series, sports games, news, cartoons, and many more. Internationally, TNT chose a different approach, and for many years they would broadcast mainly Warner and MGM movies for viewers abroad. Nowadays, things are still much the same, except in the United States TNT television has re-branded itself, becoming a name that can compete with any other channel out there.
