South Park Exits HBO Max for Exclusive Streaming on Paramount+

In-Depth Analysis

South Park will officially leave HBO Max next week, with the streaming rights for the long-running animated comedy now becoming a global exclusive on Paramount+. HBO Max has been the U.S. home for South Park for the past five years, with its entire 26-season library available on the Warner Bros. Discovery streaming service (the current season, which debuted last week, excluded). However, HBO Max has added a notice on the South Park page that warns users that the show is leaving the service Aug. 5.

Park County and Paramount inked a wide-ranging deal last month that includes 50 new episodes of the series over five years, as well as global streaming rights, including in the U.S. For the past couple of weeks, both HBO Max and Paramount+ have had the first 26 seasons of the show, with Paramount+ also featuring the first episode of season 27 (South Park is currently listed as the number one show on the Paramount+ top 10 list).

Once the show leaves HBO Max next week, Paramount+ will be the only place to stream it. New episodes of the show still debut on the Comedy Central cable channel. South Park will be joining Paramount+ exclusively just days before Paramount is expected to complete its sale to Skydance.

The future of South Park, both in streaming and for new episodes, had been the focus of a high-profile dispute between Park County and Paramount, with Skydance playing a supporting role. The show’s creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone believed that they had some sort of understanding with Paramount on a 10-year deal worth about $300 million per year. Skydance, however, had veto power over deals that were valued above a certain threshold, and were reluctant to agree to a deal that long given the fast-changing media environment.

Ultimately Paramount cut a deal with Park County that is believed to be valued at around $300 million, but for five years, and is inclusive of both streaming rights and new episodes. And with that deal done, the South Park era on HBO Max will come to a close.

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FAQ

Takeaways

• **Consolidation of Streaming Rights:** South Park's move to Paramount+ highlights the trend of content owners consolidating streaming rights to boost their own platforms.
• **Value of Established IP:** The significant investment in South Park demonstrates the value of long-running, culturally relevant intellectual property in the streaming era.
• **Impact on Viewers:** Fans who have been watching South Park on HBO Max will need to switch to Paramount+ to continue streaming the show.

Discussion

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