The 'Harry Potter' Movies Are No Longer On Any Streaming Service
Not even the most skilled wizard could untangle the confusing web that is streaming and broadcast rights for popular titles. And unfortunately, everyone's favorite Boy Wizard has fallen victim to legal deals that were hashed out long before streaming services like HBO Max and Peacock were a glimmer in Hollywood execs' eyes. All eight Harry Potter movies are no longer available any any streaming service, following the Wizarding World franchise's departure from Peacock. But the good news is that you can still watch the films on cable.
You would be hard pressed to find any of the films of Harry Potter streaming on any service — no matter how much in the holiday mood you are. None of the eight Harry Potter films are available to stream anywhere, following the franchise's departure from Peacock, NBCUniverseal's new streaming platform. The Warner Bros. fantasy films were originally available to watch on HBO Max when the WarnerMedia platform launched in May. They were only available on HBO Max until August, before they moved to Peacock in October, which had the films for an even shorter window, losing them after a month.
So why the ping ponging between services that boasted of their ownership of the Harry Potter movies, only to lose them a few months later? Well, it's not entirely HBO Max and Peacock's fault — it has to do with the legal deals for the Harry Potter movies which were made long before either service launched (via CinemaBlend). NBCUniversal controls the broadcast and cable rights to the Harry Potter movies through the end of 2025, but the legalese meant that the films had to leave Peacock in November to be shown alongside the Fantastic Beasts movies on the Syfy and USA networks.
But not all hope is lost. There's always the option of buying a physical copy (remember those?) and the high demand for the Harry Potter films means they won't stay away from streaming for long. There are already plans to reportedly bring them back to Peacock "in windows" through 2021. And once NBCUniversal's deal expires, you can probably expect WarnerMedia to shell out insane amounts of money to get the films back on HBO Max.
The Harry Potter films aren't the only titles to find themselves removed from streaming services after a short period of time. The Jurassic Park trilogy was available on Peacock's launch day, but moved soon to Netflix, then departed that service soon after. And as has been recently reported, any digital films bought on services like Amazon, iTunes, or what have you, could just as easily disappear from your library. It may be time to accio that Blu-ray set of Harry Potter after all.