Comedy Central has shifted the launch of South Park Season 27 from 9 July to 23 July, citing “scheduling adjustments,” yet executives privately acknowledge that the move buys time as lawyers untangle a high-stakes streaming rights dispute that intensified when Warner Bros. Discovery’s five-year license on the series expired last week.
Although the new half-hour episodes will still debut on Comedy Central at 10 p.m. ET/PT, viewers no longer know where they will land on demand: WBD’s Max carried Seasons 1-26 until 30 June, but talks to extend that pact stalled after Paramount Global signalled plans to pull the library back to Paramount+. The uncertainty prompted show-runners Trey Parker and Matt Stone to approve the two-week delay so that “fans aren’t left chasing the season across apps,” according to a person close to the production.
The logjam traces back to a 2019 deal that sent the catalogue to HBO Max for a reported $500 million; WBD sued Paramount in 2023, claiming the partner diverted content to boost Paramount+ with exclusive “specials.” This summer the Los Angeles Times reported that Paramount’s planned $2 billion extension with Parker and Stone was put on ice while the company negotiates its proposed sale to Skydance Media, whose approval is required for any major licensing outlay.
Industry analysts note that South Park generates an estimated $200 million in annual streaming fees and remains one of basic cable’s few reliable ratings draws, factors that give its creators leverage as multiple bidders—including Netflix and WBD—circle the property.
A press teaser released in April hinted at storylines lampooning AI hype and Canadian-American trade spats, stoking fan excitement after a two-year season break. GameRant and Sportskeeda report that Comedy Central has completed production on all ten Season 27 episodes, suggesting any further slip would come only from the business side, not the animation pipeline.