It is essentially a televised version of its sister operation, TMZ, a news website which has a heavy emphasis on gossip about celebrities' personal lives, and which debuted in December 2005.

Pieces often feature archived clips from television series and movies often for comedic effect, although they may sometimes be used to reference a project in which an entertainer is known for performing.

[citation needed] In lieu of regular daily segments such as a rumor mill segment, the program often shows recurring segments that appear over several episodes that feature a humorous or satirical introduction (for example, after the Tiger Woods adultery scandal broke in November 2009, all stories involving Woods began with the introduction: "TNN: The Tiger News Network", using a logo and name parodying that of cable television channel CNN, a then-sister channel to TMZ.com and the then-distributors of the television series, Warner Bros. Television and Telepictures, all owned by Time Warner).

[citation needed] TMZ was criticized for purchasing stolen items pertaining to the fourth Indiana Jones film.

After IESB broke the story, TMZ on TV broadcast details about the Indiana Jones production budget on the October 3, 2007, program.