The term “Thirty Mile Zone” originated in the 1960s, when due to the growth of location shoots, studios established a “thirty mile zone” to monitor rules for filming in Hollywood. The center of the zone was the offices of The Association of Motion Pictures and Television Producers, formerly at Beverly and La Cienega Boulevards in Los Angeles. TMZ reinvented the thirty mile zone and now serves as the Internet’s premiere address for entertainment news.

Launched in 2005, TMZ’s meteoric rise followed its exclusive on two of the biggest stories in entertainment: Mel Gibson's DUI arrest and subsequent encounter with law enforcement, and Michael Richards' ill-fated trip to the Laugh Factory. TMZ also broke the news of the breakup of Britney Spears and Kevin Federline's marriage.

TMZ altered the entertainment news landscape by changing the way the public gets its news. Frequently referenced by various media, TMZ is one of the most-cited entertainment news sources, utilized by national network and local newsgathering organizations across the country.

In 2006, Time magazine named TMZ one of the coolest websites. Newsweek named TMZ the “Breakout Blog of 2007.”