The entire Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts film catalogue is moving to a new linear TV home. Paramount has announced a multi-year licensing deal with Warner Bros. Discovery that will see all eight Harry Potter films and all three Fantastic Beasts titles air across MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite and Paramount Network, marking the first time these films have ever aired on any of these channels.

The deal makes Paramount the exclusive linear home of the franchise, ending NBCUniversal’s long run with the series, which had held the rights since 2018.

Broadcast schedule

Paramount isn’t wasting any time. A full marathon of all eight Harry Potter films is set to kick off on MTV starting July 3rd running through July 5th. From there, the rollout continues across multiple networks over the summer:

One film per weeknight from July 13 at 6 p.m. ET/PT; weekend airings from noon ET/PT

Week-long Harry Potter showcase, 7 p.m. ET/PT nightly

Details on when the Fantastic Beasts trilogy will air, and on Nickelodeon’s programming slate for the films, have not yet been announced.

What Paramount is saying

“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.”

— Laurel Weir, Head of Programming & Acquisitions, Paramount Media Networks

Laurel Weir, who also serves as Chief Research and Insights Officer for TV Media at Paramount, framed the deal as a strategic portfolio play, highlighting the breadth of the company’s network brands from the youth-oriented audiences of Nickelodeon to the broader entertainment demographic of Paramount Network.

A Paramount–WBD merger in the background

The timing of this deal is hard to ignore. It comes less than two weeks after the US Department of Justice’s antitrust division approved a merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal that still faces additional regulatory hurdles but is widely expected to close.

While the two announcements are technically separate, a new licensing agreement of this scale between the two companies signals a deepening relationship that goes beyond a simple content deal.

The Harry Potter films were previously the exclusive linear property of NBCUniversal under a deal dating back to 2018. The films remain available to stream on both Peacock (NBCUniversal) and Max (Warner Bros. Discovery), the linear and streaming rights operating independently.