Last week, international viewers of Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny were left shocked following the removal of South Park from streaming platform Paramount+ due to an ongoing argument over licensing rights between the show’s creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and ViacomCBS (now known as Paramount Global), the parent company of Comedy Central.
It was reported by The Hollywood Reporter that the international streaming license for episodes of the popular animated series on Paramount+ has come to an end, causing the platform to withdraw the show from its global service. Apart from the United States, Paramount+ can be accessed in various regions such as Canada, Australia, the U.K., Ireland, France, Italy, Germany, and other parts of Europe, as well as Latin America.
Discussions on the Reddit community dedicated to South Park and various social media platforms have been flooded with profanity-laced criticisms from global viewers, primarily aimed at Paramount and David Ellison’s Skydance Media. This controversy surrounding South Park seems to stem from Paramount‘s $8 billion acquisition by Skydance Media, which has sparked much discontent among fans.
User @emale27 expressed frustration by saying, ‘Oh dear, I’m immediately canceling my Paramount+ subscription.’ Similarly, @jaywinner agreed, stating, ‘I only kept Paramount+ for South Park. Now that I’ve canceled, so will I.’
What is the process for making Paramount catch fire?” inquired @Acceptable-Bid-1019, which led @probably420stoned to humorously respond: “It seems they’ve managed to do it themselves.
In response to potential cancellations of Paramount+ subscriptions due to a popular, long-standing animated series, fans across Canada, Australia, France, Germany, and other countries began sharing suggestions on where and how (legally or illegally) they could continue watching the show from their specific locations.
Internationally, Paramount+ retains the rights to broadcast South Park‘s special episodes. The series is currently airing on Comedy Central channels operated by Paramount across Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Australia/New Zealand. Additionally, Paramount’s free, ad-supported streaming service Pluto.TV offers the show in various regions such as Canada, Latin America, and certain European countries. Previous episodes can be purchased on platforms like Apple TV and Amazon Prime. In specific areas, including Germany and the Latin American region, older episodes are streamable, with ads, on a dedicated South Park website.
Originally, Paramount didn’t envision such a fragmented global access when they were preparing for the season 27 premiere of South Park, which will debut on Comedy Central in the U.S. on July 23, but it has been delayed by two weeks compared to its original plan.
The negotiations concerning the streaming rights for South Park have hit a roadblock due to the prolonged process of Paramount’s sale to Skydance.
Last month, as initially reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Parker and Stone’s business entity in Park County took legal action against Paramount. According to them, the incoming president Jeff Shell, who is currently the chairman of sports and media at Skydance investor Redbird Capital Partners, allegedly interfered with their contract negotiations with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and Netflix. They claim that Shell attempted to modify certain terms in a way that would advantage Paramount over Park County. Specifically, they allege that he pushed WBD to give Paramount+ an exclusive 12-month window for new episodes of the show and shorten the duration of the licensing deal from 10 years to just 5.
A spokesperson for Skydance issued a denial regarding the accusations. “Any claim that Jeff Shell attempted to reduce the price or devalue the franchise is not only illogical but also blatantly untrue,” the statement says. “According to the terms of the deal, Skydance retains the authority to approve significant contracts.
In my gaming world, I’ve been eagerly waiting for two more years to roll by so I can dive back into the zany adventures of South Park, thanks to Paramount’s $900 million licensing deal. However, as a global fan of these colorful characters from Colorado, I’m bummed out because, without a unified international streaming platform, it seems like I’ll still be left high and dry, yearning for my fix.
But that doesn’t mean they’ve lost their sense of humor.
On the positive side, highlighted by @Kalse1229 in the South Park subreddit, this merger will provide a fantastic opportunity for a South Park satire.
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Paramount Global for comment.
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2025-07-14 13:24