$1.5 Billion Deal Signed Between South Park Creators and Paramount
According to CinemaDrame news agency, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of the animated series South Park, have signed a $1.5 billion deal with Paramount+ amid the ongoing streaming wars.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the Emmy- and Oscar-nominated writers have entered into a five-year agreement with Paramount+ for the streaming rights to South Park. Under the terms of the deal, Paramount will pay Parker and Stone $300 million annually.
The duo had previously criticized Jeff Shell—Paramount’s incoming CEO—for his interference in their negotiations with Netflix and Warner Bros. The Hollywood Reporter noted that Parker and Stone were nearing a $3 billion long-term deal, but the impending and controversial merger between Paramount and Skydance has delayed the agreement.
Season 27 of South Park will now premiere two weeks late, beginning July 23. Following the delay announcement, the show’s official page on social media platform X shared a message from the creators: “This merger deal [between Paramount Global and Skydance Media] is a total clusterf**k and it’s hurting South Park. We’re working on new episodes in the studio and hope fans get to see them somehow.”
Currently, two years remain on the existing $900 million deal between South Park and Paramount. The series originally premiered on Comedy Central in August 1997. The final episode of Season 26 aired on March 29, 2023, and was followed by three special episodes released between October of that year and May 2024.
