Original: In later years, the latter company would gain distribution rights to most of the pre-1990 shows by the former, as Time Warner bought Turner Entertainment (which had acquired the R-S library) in 1996.
Simplified: In later years, the latter company would gain distribution rights to most of the pre-1990 shows by the former, thanks to Time Warner buying Turner Entertainment (which had acquired the R-S library) in 1996.