{"id":107849,"date":"2024-09-28T08:12:44","date_gmt":"2024-09-28T01:12:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=107849"},"modified":"2024-09-28T08:12:44","modified_gmt":"2024-09-28T01:12:44","slug":"comcast-sues-warner-bros-over-refusal-to-partner-on-harry-potter-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=107849","title":{"rendered":"Comcast Sues Warner Bros. Over Refusal to Partner on Harry Potter Series"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tA legal brawl has broken out between <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/t\/comcast\/\" id=\"auto-tag_comcast\" data-tag=\"comcast\">Comcast<\/a>\u2018s Sky and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/t\/warner-bros-discovery\/\" id=\"auto-tag_warner-bros-discovery\" data-tag=\"warner-bros-discovery\">Warner Bros. Discovery<\/a>, with the European media giant suing over breaches to a 2019 deal for exclusive rights to shows.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tSky, in a lawsuit filed Friday in New York federal court, says Warners is obligated to offer the opportunity to partner on at least four shows per year, including the upcoming Harry Potter series, but \u201cfell far short of that mark\u201d for nearly the entire duration of the contract.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tInstead, Warners has \u201clargely disregarded the parties\u2019 agreement and sought to keep the Harry Potter content for itself so that\u201d it can be used as the \u201ccornerstone of the launch of its Max streaming service in Europe,\u201d the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/773817382\/WBD-Sky\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">complaint<\/a> states. Sky seeks a court order that would force the David Zaslav-led company to bring it on as a co-producer on the production.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tIn a statement, a spokesperson for Warners said the disputed licensing agreements \u201cexpire at the end of 2025\u201d and that the lawsuit is a \u201cbaseless attempt by Sky and Comcast to try and gain leverage in its negotiations for our programming beyond that date.\u201d It added, \u201cWe know HBO branded shows are critical to Sky, as evidenced by their desire for over a year to find a way to renew our agreements, and this lawsuit makes it clear that Sky is deeply concerned about the viability of its business were it to lose our award-winning content.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tSky said in a statement that it initiated legal action to \u201csafeguard our interests and enforce our rights to partner in the production and distribution of highly valuable content.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tAmid industry turbulence, Warners has been navigating the plummeting value of its cable TV business as it shifts its focus to streaming. In August, it took a $9 billion impairment on its linear cable channels in a move motivated in part by the loss of NBA rights. Splashy franchises, like Harry Potter<em>, Games of Thrones<\/em> and <em>The Last of Us<\/em>, have become bedrocks of its streaming ambitions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tAccording to the complaint, Warners agreed in 2019 to offer Sky the opportunity to co-produce at least four original series per year from 2021 to 2025. The offer must be presented immediately after Max orders a first season and must include all information related to the series, the lawsuit says. Under the deal, Sky is required to select a minimum of two and has \u201ccomplete discretion\u201d to pick from the proposed slate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tBut Warners has \u201cnever upheld its end of the parties\u2019 bargain,\u201d the lawsuit alleges. Despite claiming it had dozens of series in development during the early years of the contract, it \u201cundisputedly failed to offer Sky the required minimum four qualifying series during each calendar year from 2021 through 2023.\u201d For the series the company did present to Sky, it allegedly withheld critical information about the productions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThe dispute reached a boiling point in 2023 when Warners issued a press release announcing that Max had officially greenlit a new Harry Potter<em> <\/em>series, which is expected to debut in 2026. Sky alleges that the show meets all of the criteria for a show that it must be offered: one hour in length per episode, plans for multiple seasons and produced by Warner Bros. Television for premiere on Max.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tWhen asked about the opportunity to co-fund the series, Warners stated in a May 2023 email that it\u2019s \u201cimpossible\u201d to meet certain provisions of their agreement since \u201cactual circumstances of production preclude HBO Max from ever presenting Sky with four series in one year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThe contract provides Sky the assignment of all media rights in the areas covered by the agreement, which includes the U.K. and multiple countries in Europe, for 20 years, the lawsuit says. It\u2019s entitled to retain all revenue from the exploitation of these rights. Sky alleges that Warner intends to \u201ckeep solely for itself any potentially lucrative qualifying series that it does order in an effort to boost the performance of its own Max streaming service\u201d in lucrative territories where the two sides are competitors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThe lawsuit extensively details the terms of the contract. Sky is required to provide financing for at least five seasons, \u201ceach at a fixed percentage allocation between 20% and 25%\u201d of the series\u2019 budgets for the first season. In exchange, it gets an exclusive option, with a prized so-called \u201clife-of-series right,\u201d to continue co-producing the productions for every season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThe agreement also contemplates creative collaboration on the shows. Warners is required to \u201cmeaningfully consult with Sky\u201d regarding key creative aspects, including scripts, writers, executive producers, cast and editing, the lawsuit claims.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tIn the complaint, Sky advances three claims related to breach of contract. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/business\/business-news\/comcasts-sky-sues-warner-bros-discovery-refusing-partner-harry-potter-series-1236015325\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A legal brawl has broken out between Comcast\u2018s Sky and Warner Bros. Discovery, with the European media giant suing over breaches to a 2019 deal for exclusive rights to shows. &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=107849\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-107849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-entertainment","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=107849"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107849\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=107849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=107849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=107849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}