Peacock's removal of the eight Harry Potter movies has led subscribers to wonder when it will return to the streaming service.
Peacock and Max have served as the Harry Potter films' streaming home through the years, switching between the two services for a set amount of time, initially beginning with HBO Max (Max's former name) in May 2020 before losing them to Peacock in October 2020 (via Vulture).
Since then, all eight movies, alongside their respective extended and deleted scenes, have gone back and forth between the streamers.
Why Did Peacock Remove the Harry Potter Movies?
All eight original Harry Potter movies have been available to stream on Peacock for a good chunk of 2024, but the films were removed on August 31.
The collection of Harry Potter films was made available to stream on Max starting September 1.
Although it is common for movies and TV shows to come and go on different streaming services, some would think that tentpole franchises like Harry Potter which is produced by Warner Bros. Pictures would stay longer on Max.
However, Max does not currently have complete control of where the movies can be streamed due to a deal made between NBCUniversal and WarnerMedia in August 2016.
The deal gave NBCUniversal, who owns Peacock, the broadcasting rights to the Harry Potter movies.
Still, Warner Bros. and NBCUniversal made another agreement (via The Hollywood Reporter) before Max's launch which allowed the service to stream the movies for three months before moving them to Peacock.
In an interview with Vulture in August 2020, Frances Manfredi, president of content acquisition and strategy for Peacock, admitted that "windowing" - a term used where movies play on one service or platform and then move elsewhere - benefits streaming services and customers alike since "it keeps the offering fresh:"
"It keeps the offering fresh. We don’t believe that having a stagnant film library that doesn’t change out is the way to go. Everyone wins in windowing. If studios were keeping that content internal only, everyone would do that … We are glad films are windowed because without that windowing strategy, we probably wouldn’t have an opportunity to buy most of the biggest films."
As of writing, these eight movies are available to stream on Max:
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Magical Movie Mode (2001)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
When Will Harry Potter Return to Peacock?
It remains to be seen when the Harry Potter movies will return to Peacock, but the current deal shared between Warner Bros. and NBCUniversal stated that the windowing will continue until 2025.
Still, fans can expect the movies to return sooner rather than later, considering that the collection of Harry Potter films was made available to stream on Peacock (via CBR) for the whole month of July before shifting to Max last month.
It is possible that the Harry Potter movies could return to Peacock as early as next month or later this year. The window might vary, but an announcement could be made soon.
When Peacock was launched in October 2020, the Harry Potter movies remained on the streaming service for at least a month. It then returned in 2021 for a six-month run.
In 2022, the movies were available to stream on Max at the beginning of the year, but it was removed in May and again in August. Peacock would later remove the movies again in May 2023, after they arrived on the streamer in September 2022.
All eight Harry Potter movies are streaming on Max.
Read more about Harry Potter:
Is a New Harry Potter Movie Releasing In 2025? The Future of the On-Screen Franchise, Explained
Is a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Movie Releasing Soon? (2024 Update)
Harry Potter Director Breaks Silence on Reboot With New Actors
