A battle is brewing over the 'Harry Potter' streaming rights between 2 upcoming platforms

• The "Harry Potter" movies won't be available to stream on WarnerMedia's HBO Max at launch, despite being theatrically distributed by Warner Bros.
• NBCUniversal still owns the digital and TV distribution rights to all eight "Harry Potter" movies and the spin-off "Fantastic Beasts" movies.
• HBO Max's content chief, Kevin Reilly, said on Wednesday during a Television Critics Association panel that "discussions will continue on" regarding the "Harry Potter" streaming rights.
• NBCUniversal is launching its own streaming service, Peacock, in April and the company is expected to reveal more details about it on Thursday.
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Those expecting the "Harry Potter" movies to be on WarnerMedia's upcoming streaming service, HBO Max, will have to wait a little longer - at least.

The movies were theatrically distributed by the WarnerMedia-owned studio Warner Bros., but company executives confirmed during a Television Critics Association panel on Wednesday that the TV and digital rights to the movies still belong to NBCUniversal. They currently aren't streaming anywhere.

The deal, which was struck in 2016 and took effect in 2018, meant that NBCUniversal could air the eight "Harry Potter" movies and the spin-off "Fantastic Beasts" movies on its networks like USA and Syfy.

The initial deal was through 2025, but HBO Max's content chief, Kevin Reilly, implied on Wednesday that WarnerMedia is looking to snag those rights back before then.

"Those discussions will continue on," Reilly said. "At some point, you can't have our experience without having Harry Potter be a part of it."

NBCUniversal company is also gearing up to launch its own streaming service, Peacock, and is expected to reveal more details about it on Thursday. It's presumed that while NBCUniversal owns the digital and TV rights to the movies, it will make them available on Peacock.

Peacock is set to launch in April, while HBO Max launches in May for $15 per month, the same price as HBO's standalone streaming option, HBO Now. HBO Max will include content across WarnerMedia's library, such as HBO, Warner Bros., DC Universe, TBS, Cartoon Network, and more.