Fri May 23 07:40:00 UTC 2025: **Summary:**

After a two-year hiatus, *South Park* Season 27 is set to premiere on Comedy Central on July 9th. This date is strategically chosen as Paramount’s exclusive streaming deal with HBO Max for the series expires on June 30th, paving the way for *South Park* to stream on Paramount+. While Paramount intends to bring *South Park* to its own streaming platform, sources indicate that it may not be an exclusive arrangement. Negotiations are underway to potentially keep *South Park* on HBO Max alongside its availability on Paramount+. This move is considered a common practice to avoid potential legal issues with profit participants, including creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Paramount’s past decisions, including creating South Park specials exclusively for Paramount+, had triggered a lawsuit with HBO Max’s parent company. Negotiations with HBO Max indicate Paramount’s wider strategy to find additional revenue streams for its library series.

**News Article:**

**’South Park’ Returns to Comedy Central, But Streaming Future Remains Uncertain**

LOS ANGELES (Deadline) – *South Park* is officially back! Comedy Central has announced the Season 27 premiere date for July 9th, marking the return of the beloved animated series after a two-year break. However, the show’s streaming landscape is far from settled.

The premiere date strategically follows the expiration of Paramount’s $500 million exclusive streaming deal with HBO Max on June 30th. Paramount Global had indicated the series would now stream on Paramount+.

During an earnings call last week, Paramount Global co-CEO Chris McCarthy touted the streaming addition. “And starting this July, [South Park] will be coming to Paramount+ in the US.”

While Paramount+ is set to be the new streaming home for *South Park*, sources suggest the show may not be leaving HBO Max altogether. Discussions are reportedly underway to potentially maintain a non-exclusive streaming agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).

“Paramount is taking the series to market, which is common practice for big shows like South Park,” an industry insider told Deadline. “This move is made to avoid potential accusations of self-dealing and subsequent legal challenges from profit participants, which in this case include *South Park* creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.”

The potential for a non-exclusive agreement comes after a contentious relationship between Paramount and HBO Max. A lawsuit was filed by WBD against Paramount, triggered by *South Park* specials being made exclusively for Paramount+, despite the existing deal.

Paramount and WBD declined to comment on the ongoing negotiations.

The status of *South Park*’s presence on both Paramount+ and HBO Max remains to be seen.

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