Harry Potter is coming to MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite and Paramount Network for the first time starting next week in a new exclusive multi-year licensing deal with Paramount.
Under the terms of the new multi-year licensing agreement, Paramount’s family of brands will be the exclusive linear home of the franchise which spans 11 films and nearly 40 hours of storytelling across the “Harry Potter” and “Fantastic Beasts” library. NBCUniversal previously held the linear rights for nearly a decade.
“Expanding Paramount’s portfolio with the ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Fantastic Beasts’ films underscores our commitment to delivering world-class franchises to the wide range of audiences our brands serve,” Paramount Media Networks programming and acquisitions head Laurel Weir said in a statement. “As one of the most beloved and enduring franchises in entertainment, ‘Harry Potter’ continues to captivate audiences across generations, and this addition enables us to deliver the magic and adventure of these timeless stories to fans of all ages.”
Starting July 3 at noon ET/PT through July 5, MTV will kick off the franchise’s debut with a special holiday weekend event, featuring a marathon of all eight films from the original “Harry Potter” series.
Then on July 13, Paramount Network will present a week-long event showcasing all eight “Harry Potter” and all three “Fantastic Beasts” films, with a featured movie each weeknight beginning at 6 p.m. ET/PT. That will continue through July 19, with weekend airings beginning at noon ET/PT.
Finally, Nick at Nite will host week-long event showcasing all eight “Harry Potter” movies beginning Aug. 9 at 7 p.m. ET/PT, with each title encoring the next day on Nickelodeon. And Nickelodeon will air the “Harry Potter” films over the Labor Day holiday weekend starting Sept. 3 as part of Warner Bros. Discovery’s annual “Back to Hogwarts” celebrations.
The licensing agreement comes as the $110 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger is on track to close by the end of the third quarter, subject to regulatory approval.
The Paramount-WBD merger notably received approval from the U.S. Department of Justice earlier this month and shareholders in April, though U.S. state attorneys general could move forward with a lawsuit to block the deal as soon as this month.
The European Commission has set an initial deadline of July 7 to decide whether to clear or order a Phase 2 investigation of the merger and a July 14 deadline on its review of the foreign investment in the deal, while the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority will decide on whether to launch a Phase 2 investigation by Aug. 7.
The transaction was also granted clearance by regulators in South Africa, China, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, Serbia and North Macedonia and foreign direct investment authorities in Spain, Germany, Slovenia, Belgium, Czechia, Italy, France and Romania. The company also says there’s “no statutory impediment” to clear the merger in Canada after a statutory waiting period under the country’s Competition Act expired.
In the event the transaction does not close by Sept. 30, WBD shareholders will receive a 25 cent per share “ticking fee” for each quarter until closing. In the event that the deal does not close at all due to regulatory matters, Paramount will pay WBD a $7 billion termination fee.
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