The UK press on Warner’s

The UK press on Warner’s $70 million price tag for the HP TV rights:

“In what is being viewed by US networks as a staggering display of greed, Warner Brothers is reportedly touting the TV rights to Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone for £49m – without allowing anyone to actually see the film first.” (The Guardian)

“Selling the television rights to the film before it is even completed is unprecedented and television network managers have only seen a 15-minute extended trailer showing some of the scenes from the unreleased movie.” (The Scotsman)

“Executives charged with deciding whether to buy the television rights are particularly angry that they are being asked to bid “blind”. While millions of fans of Harry Potter will doubtless pay to see the film at the cinema regardless, they might not want to watch it a second time on television if it falls short of expectations.” (The Times)

“In the UK, it’s likely that Sky, which has a massive programming budget, would win the rights to screen the Potter film. A BBC spokesman said: ‘I would be surprised if anyone bought Harry Potter straight off without having seen it first.'” (The Glasgow Herald)