‘South Park’ Sets Off Legal Battle for Hundreds of Millions

It’s a tumultuous time for Eric Cartman and the gang. On Friday, Warner Bros. Discovery filed a lawsuit against Paramount Global in New York State Supreme Court over the $500 million South Park licensing deal the two companies signed in 2019. The company alleges that Paramount breached their contract on multiple levels, costing WBD “hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.”

The suit places the total damages at $200 million, with causes of action including breach of contract (against South Park Digital Studios), unjust enrichment (against Paramount and MTV), and tortious interference with contract (against Paramount and MTV.)

In 2019, when Paramount first struck the South Park deal, HBO Max was still owned by AT&T. The deal granted HBO Max the rights to South Park’s massive library, as well as new episodes. Warner Bros. Discovery now alleges that rather than deliver on its promise of three new seasons, each spanning 10 episodes, Paramount delivered only 16 episodes in total. And in 2021, the Paramount-owned MTV announced its own $900 million deal for exclusive South Park special episodes—all of which would land on Paramount’s own streaming service, Paramount+.

Read more at The Daily Beast.