Warner Sues Paramount, Claims It Reneged on $500 Million ‘South Park’ Licensing Deal

By Daniel Frankel
( NextTV )
published

WBD Claims Paramount breached a 2019 contract by putting the animated show on Paramount Plus

South Park Paramount Plus Comedy Central
(Image credit: South Park)

Warner Bros. Discovery has sued Paramount Global and the makers of South Park, claiming they breached a $500 million deal made in 2019 to deliver episodes of the animated series to stream on HBO Max.  

The suit, filed in New York Supreme Court on Friday, said that Warner contracted with a joint venture set up between Paramount and South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone to acquire a library of existing South Park episodes for streaming, as well as 30 new episodes for three upcoming seasons of the show.  

But Paramount, WBD said, has only delivered about half of that quota for upcoming episodes, which the plaintiff claims it paid $1.69 million per episode to license. 

Paramount announced a $900 million deal to bring new episodes of South Park to Paramount Plus in 2021. The new episodes, WBD claims, have greatly more value than older ones found in the depths of the library. 

And sharing those episodes with Paramount Plus is a "non-starter," the suit claims. 

Daniel Frankel
Daniel Frankel

Daniel Frankel is the managing editor of Next TV, an internet publishing vertical focused on the business of video streaming. A Los Angeles-based writer and editor who has covered the media and technology industries for more than two decades, Daniel has worked on staff for publications including E! Online, Electronic Media, Mediaweek, Variety, paidContent and GigaOm. You can start living a healthier life with greater wealth and prosperity by following Daniel on Twitter today!