With just hours to spare before South Park‘s Season 27 premiere tonight, the show’s future has been locked in for the next five years. Co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have signed a new five-year overall deal with Paramount Global through their company Park County.
Additionally, South Park Digital Studios, the joint venture behind the animated hit co-owned by Paramount and Park County, has entered into an exclusive five-year license deal with Paramount+, reportedly worth $1.5B.
The pacts cover 50 new episodes over five seasons and all 26 previous seasons of South Park, which will continue on Comedy Central and be available on Paramount+. That includes Paramount+ becoming the U.S. streaming home for the South Park library and all new episodes, kicking off with Season 27 whose episodes will be available on Paramount+ the day after their Comedy Central premiere. The show also will return to Paramount+ internationally after being removed amid contractual disputes with Parker and Stone that stretched beyond the previous licensing agreement’s expiration date.
The South Park library, which had been exclusive to HBO Max in the U.S. for the past five years, will be available on Paramount+ domestically and internationally this afternoon, July 23, as it gets phased out on the Warner Bros. Discovery streamer. There had been talks for the show to continue on HBO Max on a non-exclusive basis, which ultimately didn’t pan out.
“Matt and Trey are singular, creative forces whose fearless humor and boundary pushing storytelling have made South Park one of the most beloved and enduring series ever — more popular today than at any point in its history, and one of the most valuable TV franchises in the world,” Chris McCarthy, Co-CEO of Paramount Global and President of Showtime/MTV Entertainment, said. “They are exceptional talents and trusted partners – we’re thrilled that Comedy Central and now Paramount+ globally will be the home to South Park for years to come and our thanks to the Skydance team for their vital partnership in making this happen.”
The deals mark an end to lengthy negotiations between Paramount and the South Park creators which became acrimonious amid Paramount’s pending acquisition by Skydance, resulting in Parker and Stone threatening legal action against Paramount’s incoming owner and president Jeff Shell alleging interference in the streaming rights negotiations, including a five-year licensing term vs. a ten-year one favored by the duo who also reportedly had been seeking a 10-year extension to their overall deal.
The new overall pact replaces Parker and Stone’s existing $900 million overall agreement, signed in 2021 that was to keep South Park on Comedy Central with new episodes through 2027. The new extension aligns the duo’s overall deal with the new South Park streaming pact.
Parker and Stone, who didn’t mince words during the standoff that pushed South Park‘s Season 27 premiere date from July 9 to July 23, saying earlier this month that “this merger is a sh*tshow and is f*cking up South Park,” were gracious and diplomatic in their comments on the new deals.
“Trey and I and the whole South Park crew are grateful for this extension and this deal. We want to thank Chris McCarthy and Keyes Hill-Edgar for years of great partnership and are looking forward to continuing to make South Park for the next five years,” said Stone, referencing Hill-Edgar, who is COO of Showtime/MTV Entertainment.
Added Parker, “We are grateful for this opportunity and deeply honored by the trust placed in us. This is about more than a contract — it’s about our commitment to this organization, our teammates, and our fans. We’re focused on building something special and doing whatever it takes to bring championships to this city.”
South Park launched on Comedy Central on August 13, 1997. Parker, Stone, Anne Garefino and Frank C. Agnone II are the executive producers. Eric Stough, Adrien Beard, Bruce Howell, and Vernon Chatman are producers. Christopher Brion is the creative director of South Park Digital Studios.
