Sky sues Warner Bros. over “Harry Potter” dispute

Sky has sued Warner Bros. The background is said to be the production of the large-scale new “Harry Potter” series.

Sky UK, Sky Italia and Sky Deutschland filed a lawsuit against Warner last week. The document in question is viewable online. As the industry magazine “Variety” reported, among others, the Sky Group accuses the entertainment giant of having broken a joint agreement on production participation. The specific current occasion is said to be the remake of “Harry Potter”. Warner is currently working on a series adaptation of JK Rowling’s world bestsellers that will last several seasons – apparently without Sky. The show seems to be intended as a new driving force for the streaming service Max in the future.

Warner is said to have breached its contract with Sky

According to media reports, Warner and Sky have agreed to work together on the financing and production of at least four series every year, which will then be broadcast exclusively on Sky in Europe. How to respond to the lawsuit Pay TV provider As can be seen, Warner is said to have repeatedly not adhered to this agreement in recent years. The fact that the company has now refused to allow Sky to participate in the production of the “Harry Potter” series seems to have been the last straw.

“Warner largely disregarded the parties’ agreement and sought to keep the ‘Harry Potter’ content for itself in order to use it as a cornerstone for the launch of its Max streaming service in Europe,” the pay TV’s lawsuit says -provider. Sky also breaks down the previous planning for the “Harry Potter” series.

What happens after Max starts?

The Max platform is gradually being rolled out in Europe. DIGITAL TELEVISION reported on this earlier. You cannot currently receive Max in Germany. The reason for this is the licensing agreement between Sky and Warner for content from HBO and Warner Bros., which according to a report by “Financial Times“ is not due to expire until the end of 2025. Part of the program cooperation includes successful formats such as “House of the Dragon”, which previously celebrated its streaming premiere in Germany on Sky. It will be interesting to see what exactly the distribution of Warner content will look like after the end of the contract and which films and series will still be shown on Sky in the future, provided that Max starts in this country at some point.

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