Parker and Stone’s new contract runs for five years, in which they will create 50 episodes of the show for Comedy Central. For the first time, those new episodes—as well as the show’s entire library—will stream on Paramount+, its owners’ own platform. The whole brouhaha started because Paramount, which co-owns the show with Stone and Parker, sold its extremely lucrative streaming rights to HBO Max back in 2019, and then decided it wanted them back once Paramount+ launched a few years later. Now, it seems the company has finally gotten what it wanted. Season 27 will premiere tonight as scheduled (it was previously delayed amidst these negotiations), with new episodes streaming on Paramount+ the day after they air on Comedy Central. Paramount+ will also handle global distribution, after the show was pulled from international platforms earlier this month.
It seems that Stone and Parker got what they wanted as well. The new deal values South Park at $300 million per year—$1.5 billion overall, across its five-year reach—which is an “an extraordinarily high number for what amounts to 50 episodes of TV,” in THR‘s estimation. A source did point out that the deal also functions as an advance on the show’s streaming revenue—of which Parker and Stone are entitled to about half, in a rare arrangement—which could help explain the lofty price tag.
While they were slandering their parent company on X not too long ago, Parker and Stone now say that they’re “grateful for this extension and this deal.” “We want to thank [Paramount co-CEO and president of Showtime/MTV Entertainment] Chris McCarthy and [COO] 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, per THR. 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.”
McCarthy also praised Parker and Stone in his own statement, writing, “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… 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.” We’ll check back in five years when these negotiations inevitably turn sour once again.
