Warner Bros. Television Studios facts for kids
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Logo used since 2023
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Trade name
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Warner Bros. Television Studios |
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| Founded | March 21, 1955 |
| Founder | William T. Orr |
| Headquarters | 4000 Warner Boulevard,
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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| Products | Television programs |
| Revenue |  US$5.62 billion (2015) |
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Operating income
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US$344 million (2015) |
| Parent | Warner Bros. Television Group |
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Warner Bros. Television Studios, also known as Warner Bros. Television (or WBTV), is a major American company that makes and shares TV shows. It is a main part of the Warner Bros. Television Group, which belongs to Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).
William T. Orr started WBTV on March 21, 1955. The company helps create shows for DC Comics and The CW network. It also helps share shows from other WBD companies like HBO, Cartoon Network, and Adult Swim.
As of 2015, WBTV was one of the two largest TV production companies in the world. It was measured by how much money it made and how many shows it had. In May 2024, WBTV was making almost 40 TV series. These shows were for streaming services like HBO Max, cable channels, and major American TV networks.
Contents
History of Warner Bros. Television
How WBTV Started
After World War II, television became very popular in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Many Hollywood film studios worried that TV would hurt their movie business. Some studios, like Columbia Pictures and Paramount Pictures, started making TV shows.
Warner Bros. first thought about making TV shows in 1949. But Jack L. Warner, who ran the studio, said no to many ideas. He did not want to get into TV. Eventually, the company decided to start its TV division.
The TV division officially began on March 21, 1955. William T. Orr, Jack L. Warner's son-in-law, was its first head. The ABC network asked Warner Bros. to sell its old movies. Warner Bros. later sold the rights to its films made before 1950 to another company.
WBTV officially started making TV shows with Warner Bros. Presents on ABC. This show had different episodes each week. Some were based on Warner Bros. movies like Casablanca. One original series was Cheyenne, a Western starring Clint Walker. Cheyenne was the first one-hour TV Western and became a big hit. It also showed promotions for upcoming Warner Bros. movies.
Cheyenne was the only big success from Warner Bros. Presents. So, WBTV stopped the movie promotions. They replaced Warner Bros. Presents with a new show called Conflict. This show featured pilot episodes for future hits like Maverick and 77 Sunset Strip.
Popular Shows and Stars
The success of Cheyenne led WBTV to make many more shows for ABC. These included Westerns like Maverick, Lawman, and Bronco. They also made crime dramas such as 77 Sunset Strip and Hawaiian Eye. Other shows included The Gallant Men and The Roaring Twenties. These shows often used old film clips from Warner Bros. movies.
All these shows were made quickly, like the "B movies" of the 1930s and 1940s. They used a lot of old film clips and music. The actors worked long hours for less pay.
During a writers' strike in 1960, WBTV reused many plots from its movies and other TV shows. They even used a fake name, "W. Hermanos," for the writers.
Two popular stars, James Garner and Clint Walker, left because of their working conditions. Garner became a big movie star. Many Warner Bros. TV stars also got leading roles in the studio's movies without extra pay. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. starred in 77 Sunset Strip and several films at the same time.
Many other actors became famous during this time. These included Jack Kelly, Will Hutchins, Peter Brown, and Connie Stevens. Some stars, like Connie Stevens and Edd Byrnes, also made music albums. Their song Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb) was a big hit in 1959.
Many of the shows from this time had catchy theme songs. These songs became very popular. For Westerns, William Lava or David Buttolph composed the music. For crime shows, Jerry Livingston and Mack David wrote the themes.
In 1960, WBTV started making shows for younger audiences. They brought Bugs Bunny and other cartoon characters to prime time with The Bugs Bunny Show. This show featured cartoons made after 1948.
WBTV also made its first sitcom, Room For One More, in 1962. It was based on a book about a couple who adopted children. The show only lasted half a season.
Until 1962, WBTV only made shows for ABC. Then, their show GE True started on CBS. In 1964, WBTV tried to turn another classic film into a sitcom, No Time for Sergeants. In 1965, F Troop, a funny Western show, debuted. Even though it only lasted two seasons, it is still a classic.
By 1963, the company stopped using its regular actors as much. Jack Webb took over WBTV, but it was not very successful for a while. However, shows like F Troop and The F.B.I. were still filmed at Warner Bros.
Later Years and Growth
For four years, from 1967 to 1971, the only show the company made was The F.B.I.. By 1970, many talented writers and producers from other studios joined Warner Bros. By 1971, the company started making many prime-time shows again. These included Nichols and The Jimmy Stewart Show. Also in 1971, Warner Bros. and Filmation made a deal to produce cartoons.
In 1975, Warner Bros. and DC Comics created the TV series Wonder Woman, starring Lynda Carter. That same year, the company made a deal with Bill Carruthers to develop game shows.
In 1976, WBTV bought The Wolper Organization, which made shows like Chico and the Man and Welcome Back, Kotter. In 1978, many big names in TV production signed deals with Warner Bros. to distribute their shows worldwide.
In 1979, WBTV produced the popular TV series The Dukes of Hazzard. In 1982, Aaron Spelling's production company also made a deal with WBTV to distribute its shows.
In 1986, Ted Turner bought Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). He later sold most of MGM's production parts but kept its film and TV library. Warner Bros. Television has since made new shows based on these older properties.
In 1989, Warner Communications bought Lorimar-Telepictures. Lorimar Television later joined WBTV in 1993. Telepictures then became a separate TV production company.
In the 1990s, many famous writers and producers signed deals with Warner Bros. Television. These included the creators of Friends in 1994. In 2001, WBTV took over sharing Hanna-Barbera shows like Scooby-Doo. They produced new Scooby-Doo movies and TV series.
On June 11, 2012, WBTV bought Alloy Entertainment. In 2014, Warner Bros. Television Group bought most of Eyeworks' companies outside the U.S. These companies were renamed Warner Bros. International Television Production.
In 2020, Warner Bros. Television was renamed Warner Bros. Television Studios. This was part of a big change in WarnerMedia's TV divisions. The name "Warner Bros. Television" is still used on screen for shows.
In November 2022, WBTV announced talks with Amazon to create animated DC content for Amazon Prime Video.
WBTV Production Companies
Warner Bros. Television Studios owns and runs several other production companies in the United States.
Current Production Companies
Warner Horizon Unscripted Television
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Warner Horizon Television |
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| Founded | April 2006 |
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Worldwide |
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| Parent | Warner Bros. Television Studios |
Warner Horizon Unscripted Television makes reality TV shows, documentaries, and other non-scripted programs. It started in April 2006. Some of its well-known shows include The Bachelor dating show, The Voice, and Ellen's Game of Games.
In August 2020, Warner Horizon split into two parts:
- Warner Horizon Scripted Television makes scripted shows (like dramas and comedies) for cable and streaming.
- Warner Horizon Unscripted Television focuses on reality TV and documentaries.
Alloy Entertainment
Alloy Entertainment is a company that creates books and then turns them into TV shows and movies. It is part of Warner Bros. Television Studios. Some popular shows and films from Alloy include Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars, and You.
Blue Ribbon Content
Blue Ribbon Content (BRC) was formed in 2014. It is Warner Bros. Television Studios' unit for making digital series. The company's name comes from the "Blue Ribbon" reissues of old Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes cartoons.
BRC has made live-action shows like the horror-comedy Critters: A New Binge. They also produced animated series such as Deathstroke: Knights & Dragons.
Shed Media
Shed Media is an American production company. It is part of Warner Bros. Unscripted & Alternative Television. It was founded in February 2009. Shed Media produces shows like Who Do You Think You Are? for NBC and Supernanny for Lifetime.
Telepictures
Telepictures is an American production company. Warner Communications bought it in 1988. It is still part of Warner Bros. Television Studios today. Telepictures produces shows like The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Extra, and Judge Mathis. It also makes Ellen's Game of Games for NBC.
Cartoon Network Studios
Cartoon Network Studios is an American company that makes animated shows. It is the main animation studio for Cartoon Network. It started in 1994 as part of Hanna-Barbera. In 2001, it became part of Warner Bros. Animation. The studio makes cartoons for Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and HBO Max. It has made one movie for theaters, The Powerpuff Girls Movie.
Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation Inc. is an American animation studio. It is famous for characters like Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. The studio is the successor to the original Warner Bros. Cartoons studio. That studio made Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons from 1933 to 1969.
Warner Bros. started its animation division again in 1980. It makes new works with Looney Tunes and other characters. Since 2001, it has also taken over from Hanna-Barbera.
In recent years, Warner Bros. Animation has focused on making TV shows and direct-to-video movies. These often feature characters from Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, and Scooby-Doo.
Former Production Companies
Warner Bros. Kids, Young Adults and Classics
Warner Bros. Kids, Young Adults and Classics (KYAC) was a division of Warner Bros.. It was created on March 4, 2019, as part of a big change in its parent company, WarnerMedia. This division existed until May 11, 2022.
KYAC was in charge of family, kids, animation, and young adult properties. This included TV networks like Cartoon Network, Boomerang, and Adult Swim. It also oversaw animation studios like Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios.
On May 11, 2022, this division was closed. Its studios moved under Warner Bros. Television.
Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution
Logo used since 2023
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Formerly
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Warner Bros. Television Division (1961–1967) Warner Bros. Seven Arts Television (1967–1969) Warner Bros. Television Distribution (1970–1989) |
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| Industry | Television distribution Broadcast syndication |
| Predecessor | Sunset Productions (1955–1957) Seven Arts Associated Corp. (1960–1967) Lorimar-Telepictures (1986–1989) |
| Founded | 1961 in Burbank, California |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
| Parent | Warner Bros. Television Studios |
Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution is the part of Warner Bros. Television Studios that shares TV shows. It helps get shows onto different TV channels and streaming services.
It started in 1961. It got its current name in 1989 after Warner Bros. bought Lorimar-Telepictures. In 1999, it made a deal with NBC Enterprises to share the sitcom Will & Grace.
International Operations
Warner Bros. also has companies that make and share TV shows in other countries.
Australia
Warner Bros. International Television Production Australia (WBITPA) started in 2004. It was first called Eyeworks Australia. In 2014, it was renamed WBITPA.
This company produces popular shows in Australia. These include The Bachelor Australia, The Bachelorette Australia, and The Masked Singer Australia.
New Zealand
WBITVP New Zealand makes many successful entertainment shows in New Zealand. Some of these are RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under, The Bachelor NZ, The Block NZ, and The Great Kiwi Bake Off.
Spain
The Spanish company was bought as part of the Eyeworks takeover in 2014. It was renamed Warner Bros. International Television Production España in December 2015.
Shows made by WBITVP España include Juego de juegos, which is based on Ellen's Game of Games. They also make First Dates and ¿Quién quiere ser millonario? (España), based on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.
United Kingdom
Warner Bros. Television Studios UK
This company started as Shed Productions in 1998. Time Warner bought it in 2010. It was renamed Warner Bros. Television Productions UK in 2015.
Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe
On April 7, 2021, Cartoon Network Studios Europe was renamed Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe. The Hanna-Barbera name had been used again for some Warner Bros. Animation shows and movies. These included Scooby-Doo media and Wacky Races. The first new projects under this name are a new series and a movie for The Amazing World of Gumball.
Notable Shows Produced
Warner Bros. Television has produced and shared many famous TV shows. Some of these include:
- Wonder Woman
- The Dukes of Hazzard
- The Big Bang Theory
- Young Sheldon
- Two and a Half Men
- Friends
- The Middle
See also
In Spanish: Warner Bros. Television Studios para niños
