Just two months ago, Paramount Global told its shareholders that Paramount+ would soon be the only streaming platform to host the entire South Park content library. Now, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have brought on a top lawyer, possibly getting ready to take that “exclusive home” to court.
Late last month, lawyers for Park County Productions—Parker and Stone’s company—sent a firm letter to Paramount Global and its likely future parent company Skydance Media. They accused Jeff Shell, a RedBird Capital executive who’s expected to lead Paramount after the merger, of interfering in Park County’s talks with Netflix over the U.S. streaming rights to South Park. The current contract between Paramount and Parker and Stone ends in 2027, and reports say Skydance CEO David Ellison isn’t sold on their $200 million yearly asking price.
Parker and Stone’s lawyers claim that Shell has been pushing other major streaming platforms to lower their offers to Park County, trying to bring down the overall asking price.
While Skydance argues that any actions they’ve taken are legal as they work to finalize the deal with South Park’s parent company, Hollywood insider and Puck founder Matthew Belloni reported today that Parker and Stone have hired powerful Hollywood lawyer Bryan Freedman, likely gearing up to sue Paramount and Ellison. Given Paramount’s recent legal history, Parker and Stone could walk away with at least $16 million without ever going to trial.
Parker and Stone share ownership of South Park’s streaming rights with Paramount through their joint venture, South Park Digital Studios. This unique setup gives both Paramount and Park County 50% control over the valuable streaming rights, but Parker and Stone have the final say in all contract decisions.
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When Park County’s lawyers first accused Skydance of going “behind Park County’s back” and engaging in “self-dealing” during talks with non-Paramount platforms, Ellison’s company appeared to claim they were within their rights as potential part-owners of South Park Digital Studios.
Under the terms of the transaction agreement, Skydance has the right to approve material contracts.
Skydance replied to the threat, referencing their agreement with Paramount Global that allows them to veto any major contracts that Paramount signs while the two mega-corporations wait for President Donald Trump’s FCC to approve the merger.
The public feud escalated when Paramount abruptly announced that the long-awaited 27th season of South Park would be pushed back by two weeks. Although the media giant didn’t share any reasons for the unexpected delay, Parker and Stone took to the official South Park Twitter account to share their own theories.
This merger is a shitshow and it’s fucking up South Park. We are at the studio working on new episodes and we hope the fans get to see them somehow.
Parker and Stone told their fans
Now, Parker and Stone have brought in top Hollywood lawyer Bryan Freedman, co-founder of the Los Angeles-based firm Liner Freedman Taitelman + Cooley LLP. Freedman is also currently representing actor and director Justin Baldoni in his widely covered legal dispute with Blake Lively.
Exactly three years ago, the South Park fandom believed The Streaming Wars had finally ended. Today, it seems the battle is starting all over again.
Source: Cracked