From 1923: Warner Bros.

Mergers and acquisitions have helped Warner Bros. accumulate a diverse collection of movies, cartoons and television programs.In the aftermath of the 1948 antitrust suit, uncertain times led Warner Bros. in 1956 to sell most of its pre-1950 films and cartoons to a holding company called Associated Artists Productions (a.a.p.). a.a.p. also got the Fleischer Studios and Famous Studios Popeye cartoons, originally from Paramount. Two years later, a.a.p. was sold to United Artists (UA), which held them until 1981, when Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer bought UA.

In 1982 Turner Broadcasting System acquired Brut Productions, the film production subsidiary of the then struggling personal-care company Faberge Inc.In 1986, Turner Broadcasting System, having failed to buy MGM, settled for ownership of the MGM/UA library. This included almost all the pre-May 1986 MGM film and television library with the exception of those owned by United Artists (i.e. James Bond franchise), although some UA material were included such as the a.a.p. library, the U.S. rights to a majority of the RKO Radio Pictures library, and the television series Gilligan’s Island.

In 1991, Turner Broadcasting System bought animation studio Hanna-Barbera Productions, and much of the back catalog of both Hanna-Barbera and Ruby-Spears Enterprises from Great American Broadcasting, and years later, Turner bought Castle Rock Entertainment on December 22, 1993[59][60] and New Line Cinema on January 28, 1994. In 1996, Time Warner bought Turner Broadcasting System, and brought the pre-1950 sound films and the pre-August 1948 cartoon library back home.
On October 4, 2007, Warner Bros. added the Peanuts/Charlie Brown library to its collection from Peanuts Worldwide, LLC, licensor and owner of the Peanuts material; this includes all the television specials and series outside of the theatrical library, which continues to be owned by CBS and Paramount.
In 2008, Warner Bros. closed New Line Cinema as an independent mini-major studio, as a result, Warner added the New Line Cinema film and television library to its collection. On October 15, 2009, Warner Bros. acquired the home entertainment rights to the Sesame Street library, in conjunction with Sesame Workshop.

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