South Park fans with Max subscription don’t have to spend the day binging their favorite show before it disappears from the platform. While today, June 23, is the last day under Paramount’s $500 million exclusive licensing deal for the hit animated series with the Warner Bros. Discovery streamer, South Park will remain on the platform for the time being, Deadline has learned.
It is because, as Deadline reported exclusively last month, WBD has been in talks with Paramount about keeping Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s animated hit on Max — likely on a non-exclusive basis. As these conversations continue, the show will remain on Max where the existing 26 seasons are currently available with no pending removal notice.
Paramount had long been expected to bring South Park to its Paramount+ platform after the deal with WBD expires. The company’s co-CEO Chris McCarthy, who oversees Comedy Central and streaming, addressed that during the company’s earnings call in May.
“And starting this July, [South Park] will be coming to Paramount+ in the U.S.,” he said.
According to sources, the hope still is for the show to launch on Paramount+ in July, in time for the series’ Season 27 premiere on Comedy Central on July 9. Paramount Global, which has been facing financial challenges, has been open to licensing its content to outside platforms on a non-exclusive basis.
Reps for Paramount and WBD declined comment.
The ongoing discussions between WBD and Paramount over extending South Park’s Max deal represent a change in tone for the two companies, which have had a contentious partnership. It has resulted in a lawsuit over the South Park specials for Paramount+, which is still pending.
Parker and Stone signed a deal with Comedy Central in 2021, reportedly for around $900M, to extend South Park through Season 30, running through 2027.
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