South Park's digital library consisting of 23 seasons is heading to HBO Max. The deal is reportedly worth around $500 million dollars.
"South Park is unequivocally among the best — setting the satirical gold standard, with a consistent finger on the comedy pulse,” HBO Max Chief Content Officer Kevin Reilly said in a statement. "Audiences have connected with Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny — either alive or dead — for over 20 years, and we look forward to connecting these characters to new audiences on HBO Max."
Trey Parker and Matt Stone, along with Viacom Inc., were entertaining offers from various streaming services for the rights to South Park. Hulu is currently the streaming home of South Park, but it will leave the service next summer when the Comedy Central series debuts in June 2020. HBO Max will air new episodes of South Park 24 hours after they air on Comedy Central.
The show, once a regular generator of controversy, is still stirring the pot. Its latest episode took shots at Hollywood, Disney, and China, with the result that South Park was banned in China—something the episode itself focused on. None of these controversies seem to be worrying streaming services, however, if the estimated price tag for the show's rights turns out to be accurate.
Starring Trey Parker and Matt Stone, South Park airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central. It will stream exclusively on HBO Max beginning June 2020.
HBO Max is slated to launch in May 2020.
(via The Hollywood Reporter)