Context:

South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker have secured a $1.5 billion deal with Paramount Plus for the global streaming rights of the series, marking its first availability on the platform in the U.S. The deal, valued at $300 million annually, allows Park County to produce ten episodes a year, although it remains unfinalized. Attempts to co-license the series with HBO Max fell through, leading Paramount to proceed independently after tense negotiations. A five-year agreement was reached, shorter than the initially sought ten-year deal, amid pressures to resolve matters before the Season 27 premiere. Paramount's upcoming sale to David Ellison's Skydance Media and the creators' appearance at San Diego Comic-Con have added urgency to the negotiations, with both parties keen to avoid negative publicity.

Dive Deeper:

• Matt Stone and Trey Parker, through their Park County production company, have struck a $1.5 billion deal with Paramount Plus, securing the global streaming rights for South Park, with the series set to be available on the platform for the first time in the U.S.

• The annual valuation of the deal is $300 million, and it includes the production of ten episodes a year, although the agreement has not yet been finalized.

• Negotiations to co-license the series with HBO Max and its parent, Warner Bros. Discovery, collapsed over the weekend, prompting Paramount to continue the deal on its own.

• The creators were on the verge of filing a lawsuit due to tense negotiations but ultimately reached a five-year agreement, which is shorter than the originally desired ten-year term.

• The urgency to finalize the deal was heightened by the approaching Season 27 premiere and Paramount's impending sale to Skydance Media, alongside Stone and Parker's scheduled appearance at San Diego Comic-Con, all of which necessitated avoiding negative press.