The Harry Potter films are apparating to a new streaming home.
The eight-film franchise will start streaming on NBCUniversal’s Peacock service in October. The company said Wednesday that they will be available in windows, meaning they will come on and off the platform over the next six months and into 2021.
The films were available on HBO Max at the time of its May launch but the company announced in July that they would leave the service in August.
“The Harry Potter franchise is beloved by people of all ages and represents the caliber of quality entertainment customers can expect to find on Peacock,” said Peacock president of content acquisition and strategy Frances Manfredi in a statement. “We’ve built a world-class collection of iconic movies and shows, and we will continue to expand the film library with treasured titles from NBCUniversal and beyond that will surprise and delight Peacock customers time and time again.”
The Harry Potter movies are a case study in how complicated the rights negotiations are for crown jewel film and TV properties. The films, adaptations of the best-selling J.K. Rowling novels, were produced and distributed by WarnerMedia’s Warner Bros. studio from 2001 to 2011. They grossed more than $2 billion at the U.S. box office and led to the Fantastic Beasts.
But in 2016, the company struck a widespread deal with NBCU that gave it the television and digital rights to the franchise through 2025. WarnerMedia struck a short-term deal with NBCU to make the films available on HBO Max for its May 27 launch.
Other Warner Bros. movies will also join the Peacock library in the next six months, including Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.
