ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks
There’s good news for South Park fans everywhere! The creators of the animated sitcom just signed a new deal with Comedy Central, meaning the franchise will last until at least 2027.
South Park Continues
ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks
Whether you love it or hate it, South Park has become one of the biggest names in the comedy world. The show about fourth-graders telling edgy jokes and learning important life lessons in a little mountain town has remained popular since it debuted in 1997. Now, the creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, have signed a new deal with Comedy Central, owned by ViacomCBS. It not only included ten moire seasons of the show, which will have it lasting until 2027, but also 14 movies for the streaming service ParamountPlus. The deal earned the pair nearly $900 million for six years of work. Of course, the duo does not pocket it all. $150 a year will go towards the movie and series production, but they will make additional profits off the released content.
While Comedy Central has undoubtedly put more and more stock into animation in recent years, this decision proves that the company really does think that comedy animation is the way of the future…
Valuing The Talent And Traction
ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks
“Matt and Trey are world-class creatives who brilliantly use their outrageous humor to skewer the absurdities of our culture and we are excited to expand and deepen our long relationship with them to help fuel Paramount+ and Comedy Central,” said Chris McCarthy, president-CEO of MTV Entertainment and chief content officer of adult animation for Paramount Plus. “Franchising marquee content like South Park and developing new IP with tremendous talent like Matt and Trey, is at the heart of our strategy to continue growing Paramount Plus.”
Meanwhile, Parker and Stone say they are happy to be remaining at the same location since ’97. “Comedy Central has been our home for 25 years and we’re really happy that they’ve made a commitment to us for the next 75 years,” said Parker and Stone. “When we came to ViacomCBS with a different way to produce the show during the pandemic, Chris (McCarthy), Nina (Diaz), Keyes (Hill-Edgar) and Tanya (Giles) were immediately supportive and enabled us to try something new that turned out to be really well received. We can’t wait to get back to doing traditional South Park episodes but now we can also try out new formats. It’s great to have partners who will always take a chance with us.”
Of course, given how popular South Park has become over the past two decades, this is far from the only deal the show has made recently. Last year, ViacomCBS sold the streaming rights to the older seasons to HBO Max for $500 million. This brings Park Studios, Parker and Stone’s studio, which creates South Park, evaluation to nearly $1 billion. So, expect a lot more from them in the coming years!
