(Bloomberg) -- Comcast Corp.’s European Sky pay-TV unit sued Warner Bros. Discovery Inc., alleging the film and TV company breached an agreement to share co-production opportunities on projects like a new Harry Potter TV series.
The suit filed in US District Court in New York says the companies entered into an agreement in September 2019 under which Warner Bros. would annually offer Sky original content from HBO Max for possible co-funding and co-production.
Warner has never upheld its end of the obligation, according to the complaint. The company should have offered Sky at least four qualifying series every year from 2021 to 2023. The agreement runs through 2025.
“Warner on Sept. 8, 2024, launched a casting call for the three lead acting roles in the Harry Potter series, with contemporaneous press reports noting a possible target production start date in April 2025,” according to the complaint. “Warner has not invited Sky to participate in these activities in any way.”
In a separate statement, Sky said it looks “forward to achieving a swift and conclusive resolution of the matter.”
Warner Bros. called the suit a “baseless attempt” by Comcast to gain leverage in negotiations to renew their deal to put HBO and other programming on Sky after it expires next year.
Warner Bros.’s streaming service, Max, is available in two dozen European countries, but not in the UK, Germany and Italy, where Sky has the rights to the company’s programming. Warner Bros. said it plans to launch Max in the UK and other markets in 2026.
(Updates with Warner Bros. comments beginning in last two paragraphs)
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