ABC Family Takes Final Harry Potter Films

BURBANK: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, parts one and two, have been picked up by ABC Family from Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, giving the network the basic cable rights to all eight films in the franchise.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 opened at the box office this weekend, setting a franchise record of $125.1 million. The first part will premiere on ABC Family in spring 2013. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 opens in theaters on July 15, 2011. The film then heads to TV on ABC Family in winter 2013.

“Our viewers have come to know ABC Family as the television destination for the Harry Potter films. They’re enormously beloved by our audience and the world over,” said Tom Zappala, the executive VP of program acquisitions and scheduling for ABC Cable Networks Group. “We’re thrilled to extend our long-standing relationship with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution to include the final two installments.”

"ABC Family identified very early that the Harry Potter movies were destined to become an enormously popular franchise, and they committed to making ABC Family the television home for Harry Potter,” added Ken Werner, the president of Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. “This strategy has paid huge dividends for them and all Potter fans. We are thrilled by our collaboration over the years and excited to extend the relationship through the final two films."