The 1989 merger of Time Inc. and Warner Communications formed Time Warner.
Announced in 1989, the deal combined Time Inc., the publisher of magazines such as Time and Sports Illustrated, with Warner Communications, whose businesses included film, television and music. The merger created a major vertically integrated media company with assets spanning publishing, entertainment and cable television.
The company was originally called Time Warner. It later acquired Turner Broadcasting System in 1996 and became one of the largest media groups in the world. In 2001, AOL acquired Time Warner, producing the name AOL Time Warner, although that combination is widely regarded as one of the most disappointing major corporate deals.
A common mix-up is confusing the original 1989 merger with the later 2000 AOL transaction. Time Warner eventually separated from AOL and was renamed WarnerMedia in 2018.