‘Harry Potter’ & ‘Welcome To Derry’ Moving From Max To HBO As Part Of Big-Budget Streaming Strategy Rethink

Don’t expect many big-budget original scripted series heading to Max.

Warner Bros. Discovery is changing its strategy when it comes to big-budget series and will move titles such as the upcoming Harry Potter series and IT prequel Welcome To Derry from the streamer to its linear network HBO.

Green Lantern series Lanterns is also part of this strategy shake-up after being handed a series order at HBO today.

It’s not clear whether The Penguin, which is set to be released in September, or Dune: Prophecy will also move to HBO. Insiders said these are still TBC.

Obviously the likes of Harry Potter and Welcome To Derry will subsequently air on Max after their linear debuts, but the move doesn’t shout confidence in streaming for the David Zaslav-run company.

At the launch of the rebranded Max service in April 2023, where it confirmed series such as Harry Potter, Zaslav declared, “This is a real moment for us … This is our time. This is our chance, and everything is possible,” he said. “I feel like, for our company, this is our rendezvous with destiny.”

After axing its unscripted division in 2022, it appears that Max won’t be the original home for big-budget scripted series moving forward either.