Sky Sues Warner Bros. Over Refusal to Partner on ‘Harry Potter’ TV Series

variety.com:

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Sky Group filed a lawsuit Friday against Warner Bros., accusing the studio of breaching their agreement by refusing to partner on the upcoming “Harry Potter” TV series.

Sky has long distributed Warner Bros. content in the UK, but the relationship has deteriorated recently as Warners has prepared to launch its competing Max streaming service in Europe.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in New York, marks a full breakdown in the partnership. According to the suit, Warners is obligated to offer four Max series per year to be co-financed and co-produced by Sky and distributed exclusively to Sky viewers in the UK and other European territories.

But Sky alleges that Warner Bros. has failed to live up to that deal since it began in 2021, most recently by refusing to co-produce the upcoming “Harry Potter” series. “Warner’s reason for refusing to honor its obligations to Sky could not be more clear,” the lawsuit states. “Warner has chosen to keep the Harry Potter Series for itself and make the blockbuster Series the cornerstone of its own Max rollout in Europe.” Sky, which is owned by Comcast, alleges that it will lose out on hundreds of millions of dollars due to Warners Bros.’ breach of the agreement.