If WarnerMedia had known years ago that things were going to go this way it never would have made that deal, as the Harry Potter films have been a boon to HBO Max since it launched.
It shows just how quickly the content game has changed for all the major media companies.
We weren’t even expecting the franchise to be on that service at launch, so it was a big deal when it happened, but now the honeymoon is over.
Licensing out major titles to broadcast, cable, and other streaming platforms has been a major source of revenue for all involved, and so deals have been made that will last for years that give the rights to something like Harry Potter to a competitor.