HBO Max’s mother or father firm, Warner Bros. Discovery, is suing Paramount(Opens in a brand new tab) for allegedly failing to honor a part of their $500 million deal over the streaming rights to South Park, Selection studies.
The Warner/HBO and Paramount deal was sealed in 2019, when it was decided the favored animated comedy would stream solely on HBO Max. In 2021, nonetheless, MTV (a Paramount subsidiary) made a separate deal(Opens in a brand new tab) — for $900 million(Opens in a brand new tab) — with present creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone for at the least 5 extra seasons of the present for Comedy Central, and 14 unique motion pictures for Paramount+. 4 of these “motion pictures” have already run on Paramount+: South Park: Publish Covid, South Park: Publish Covid: The Return of Covid, South Park The Streaming Wars Half 1 and Half 2.
HBO Max and Discovery+ merger might not occur as deliberate
Now, Warner/HBO filed a swimsuit on Friday that alleges that Paramount undermined their deal in makes an attempt to bolster their very own streaming service. “When Paramount determined to launch a brand new streaming platform of its personal (“Paramount+”), its priorities modified drastically,” the swimsuit alleges, “and [Paramount] launched into a multi-year scheme to unfairly reap the benefits of Warner/HBO by breaching its contract and stealing its content material.”
A Paramount International spokesperson instructed Selection:
We consider these claims are with out advantage and sit up for demonstrating so by means of the authorized course of…We additionally notice that Paramount continues to stick to the events’ contract by delivering new South Park episodes to HBO Max, although Warner Bros. Discovery has failed and refused to pay license charges that it owes to Paramount for episodes which have already been delivered, and which HBO Max continues to stream.
South Park is at the moment airing on HBO Max for its twenty sixth season, with Warner Bros. Discovery contemplating the present an “anchor” that is “central to branding and advertising.”
