The world of Harry Potter is getting more expansive with the release of the new book "Harry Potter and The Cursed Child" along with the film "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" within the same year. New releases mean more cash to rake in as demonstrated with over 3 million copies of the "Cursed Child" sold in its first week in North America and "Fantastic Beasts" is expected to make $200 million at the box office.
"Fantastic Beasts" will be the first of three new "Harry Potter" films to be released in the future.
Corporations like NBCUniversal and Comcast are taking notice. Starting July 2018, all eight "Harry Potter" films will be shown exclusively on NBC networks with additional features such as director's cut version of the films and special featurettes, as well as first broadcast of the "Fantastic Beasts" films on HBO. NBCUniversal theme parks will also get to use promotional material and new characters from the films. This is through NBC's deal to purchase the broadcast rights of "Harry Potter," a privilege held only by ABC and had shown the eight films on their ABC Family/Freeform channel. However, their broadcast rights expires by 2018 which NBC neatly scooped up for their own networks.
The deal struck by NBCUniversal and Warner Bros., estimated to be worth over $200 million, is not a new relationship. NBCUniversal has a Wizard World in Florida and Japan which has consistently drawn crowds and is a must see for all wizard fans. The deal will surely bolster the attractions' attendance and improve the slump in ratings NBC has tried to deal with on several of its channels like SyFy and the opening for the Rio Olympics. "Harry Potter" has had a strong fan base that is ever growing with each new generation, and they are faithful viewers to the films with 1.3 billion views on TV, to date, which NBC will soon be given the reins to help grow.
