The Town with Matthew Belloni Why the Paramount-Skydance Merger is "F*cking Up ‘South Park’"
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Jul 7, 2025 
Lucas Shaw, a Bloomberg reporter specializing in the entertainment industry, joins to unpack the intense standoff between 'South Park' creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Paramount amidst the merger with Skydance Media. They discuss how this merger is causing significant delays in new episodes due to rights disputes. The conversation dives into the tensions between current and new management, the peculiar production model of 'South Park', and the broader implications of the Trump-Paramount deal on future media agreements.
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Groundbreaking South Park Digital Rights Deal
- The 2007 deal granting Matt and Trey 50% of South Park's digital rights was revolutionary for its time.
- It positioned the creators to benefit massively from the rise of digital streaming platforms.
Paramount Aims $2B Streaming Deal
- Paramount's current management proposes splitting South Park's streaming rights between Paramount Plus and HBO Max.
- They aim to generate over $2 billion in revenue over 10 years from these deals.
Skydance Prefers Shorter South Park Deal
- Incoming Skydance leadership prefers a shorter, less costly deal, potentially licensing South Park to Netflix.
- They fear a long 10-year contract locks them into terms they might later find unfavorable.
