Not on the day Maggie Smith died , you guys. Comcast and Warner Bros. Discovery are squabbling over HBO /Max’s coming Harry Potter series.
Specifically, UK broadcaster Sky , owned by Comcast, has sued WBD for the right to co-produce the small-screen adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s novel series.
In 2019, the year after Comcast acquired Sky, it and Warner Media — a predecessor to what would become Warner Bros. Discovery in 2022 — formed a pact that says WBD will present Sky with four hour-length, multi-season shows intended for what was then HBO Max, and give them the chance to co-finance or co-produce the series. Sky believes that lot should include the Potter series.
Warner Bros. Discovery’s “too-bad, so-sad” defense is the Mayan calendar: The deal ends in 2025, and the Harry Potter show is slated for 2026. But Sky says it doesn’t matter when it’s slated to air; the deal terms are based on whether the show was “ordered.
” WBD officially ordered the Harry Potter series in April 2023, so Potter should technically qualify. But also of note, Sky’s deal does not include shows intended for HBO’s linear channel or the now-defunct HBO Now. Warner Bros.
a few months back made the shift of calling Harry Potter an HBO Original rather than a Max Original, a distinction that at the time seemed like a marketing strategy decision. All of that will be up to the courts to decide. But here’s what Sky’s officially saying: “Warner’s reason for refusing to honor its .