Latest news with #streamingrights
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why ‘South Park' has vanished from streaming sites, explained
For weeks, there have been rumblings online about an ongoing dispute related to South Park's streaming rights, most notably resulting in the two-week delay of Season 27 and a public statement from creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. But last week, the issue grew to a global scale as South Park became completely unavailable to stream outside the U.S. A source told The Hollywood Reporter that Paramount's international license for the four-time Emmy-winning show expired, but that negotiations to restore the series to Paramount+ were ongoing. More from Gold Derby 'The Young and the Restless' leads Daytime Emmy predictions for Best Drama Series 'Adolescence,' 'The Penguin,' 'Disclaimer,' and more last-minute Emmy nominations predictions for Best Limited/Movie Directing So what is going on? Here's everything you need to know about the drama behind South Park's streaming issues. Last week, the main series of South Park that airs on Comedy Central disappeared from Paramount+ for all territories outside the U.S. The seven specials made specifically for the platform, however, remain available. The reason for the vanishing act is part of a larger drama playing out behind the scenes of the series with the parent comedy of Comedy Central, Paramount. With the licensing deal on the show set to expire in two years, Parker and Stone have been meeting with other media companies, shopping around the rights for South Park at places like Warner Bros. Discovery and Netflix. According to a legal letter acquired by The Hollywood Reporter, a lawyer representing the show creators accused Paramount's next potential president of attempting to alter the terms of these potential deals behind their backs in a way that would benefit the corporation in the midst of a merger. The conflict seemed to lead directly into the two-week delay of Season 27, which was supposed to have premiered on July 9, but is now scheduled for July 23. Once the new season was officially delayed, the creators issued a statement via the South Park's social media accounts, directly blaming the merger on the lack of new South Park. The removal of South Park from Paramount+ in international territories is just the latest development in the still-unresolved dispute. A source told THR that global access to the show would hopefully be restored soon, but with a timeline uncertain, fans are likely watching the potential premiere date of July 23 to see how this all plays out. Best of Gold Derby Everything to know about 'The Pitt' Season 2, including the departure of Tracy Ifeachor's Dr. Collins Everything to know about 'Too Much,' Lena Dunham's Netflix TV show starring Megan Stalter that's kinda, sorta 'based on a true story' Cristin Milioti, Amanda Seyfried, Michelle Williams, and the best of our Emmy Limited Series/Movie Actress interviews Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘South Park' Removed From Paramount+ Outside the U.S.
Streamers outside of the U.S. can no longer access South Park on Paramount+. Sources have confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Paramount+'s license to stream the series internationally has expired, noting the streaming platform is in continued negotiations and hopes to have the series back up soon for all subscribers. International fans of the long-running animated series can still stream South Park specials on Paramount+ and watch the show on Comedy Central, however. More from The Hollywood Reporter What Will It Take to Get the Paramount-Skydance Deal Done? Arcade Workers at 'South Park' Creators' Casa Bonita Restaurant Unionize Ex-'60 Minutes' Correspondent Steve Kroft Calls $16M Trump Settlement a "Shakedown" The news of the expired international license comes just days after it was announced that the season 27 premiere of South Park has been pushed back two weeks to July 23 from its original date of July 9 amid a streaming rights battle between the show's creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Comedy Central's parent company Paramount Global. A tweet posted to South Park's official X profile following the July 2 announcement read: 'In response to the press release from Comedy Central about the change in premiere date for South Park Trey Parker & Matt Stone said — 'This merger is a shitshow and it's fucking up South Park. We are at the studio working on new episodes and we hope the fans get to see them somehow.' As first reported by The Hollywood Reporter last month, Parker and Stone threatened legal action against Paramount, accusing incoming president Jeff Shell of interfering with their contract negotiations with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and Netflix. Shell, currently chairman of sports and media at Redbird Capital Partners, is set to take the reins once the merger between David Ellison's Skydance and Paramount Global is complete. The deal, originally set to close on July 6, is currently awaiting Federal Communications Commission approval to transfer Paramount's broadcast licenses to Skydance. On Monday, representatives for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and its Hollywood Local 399 and the Center for American Rights met with the FCC to discuss concessions and emphasize their 'commitment to explaining and applauding a final license package that protects the interests of workers, consumers, and investors.' Paramount currently has two years left on its $900 million deal for the digital rights to South Park. In the June 21 letter written by an attorney for Parker and Stone's entertainment company Park County, Shell is said to have asked potential bidders to modify certain terms of their offers in a 'manner calculated to benefit Paramount at the expense' of the company, specifically pointing to Shell urging WBD to give Paramount+ an exclusive 12-month window for new episodes of the show and to shorten the term of the deal from 10 to five years. 'We hereby demand that you, Redbird, and Skydance immediately cease your interference,' the letter reads. 'If these activities continue, we will have no choice but to act to both protect our rights and discharge any obligations we may have to the public.' In response, a spokesperson for Skydance released a statement which read, 'Under the terms of the transaction agreement, Skydance has the right to approve material contracts.' South Park first debuted on Comedy Central on Aug. 13, 1997. The season 26 finale episode 'Spring Break' aired on Mar. 29, 2023, with three specials following between October 2023 and May 2024. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Harvey Weinstein's "Jane Doe 1" Victim Reveals Identity: "I'm Tired of Hiding" 'Awards Chatter' Podcast: 'Sopranos' Creator David Chase Finally Reveals What Happened to Tony (Exclusive)
Telegraph
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
BBC may lose Glastonbury rights
The BBC may lose the streaming rights to Glastonbury Festival. It has been reported that US tech giants are hoping to outbid the BBC and take over as the principal broadcaster of the annual festival. The i paper has reported that both YouTube, owned by Google, and Amazon Music are said to be interested in wrestling the rights from the BBC. Both streaming platforms have aired festival coverage previously, covering FireAid in California, and Primavera in Spain. The firms are likely to be able to comfortably outbid Britain's national broadcaster, which has had to make drastic cuts to manage successive reductions in its budget. This year's festival was marred by the broadcast of a set by the band Bob Vylan, during which the act led chants of 'death to the IDF'. Pascal Robinson-Foster, the lead singer, also sang that Britons could not 'have their country back' in front of a banner declaring that the UK was built 'on the backs of immigrants'. Director-general Tim Davie has faced calls to quit over the broadcast, with Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, demanding he explain why the performance was shown live. Samir Shah, the BBC chairman, was also summoned by Ms Nandy to discuss the controversy, which left Mr Davie fighting for his job. Losing the festival would be a blow to the BBC, which draws in audiences of more than 20 million with coverage of the event. It would, however, make financial sense to the Eavis family, which runs Glastonbury from Worthy Farm, with major streaming platforms potentially able to provide both huge sums and audiences. Sir Ephraim Mirvis, the Chief Rabbi, said that the scandal was a ' time of national shame ', adding: 'The airing of vile Jew-hatred at Glastonbury and the BBC's belated and mishandled response brings confidence in our national broadcaster's ability to treat anti-Semitism to a new low.' Avon and Somerset police launched an investigation into the Bob Vylan gig, stating: 'This has been recorded as a public order incident at this time while our enquiries are at an early stage.' The broadcaster became embroiled in the controversy despite seeking to avoid any scandals. The BBC attempted to avoid broadcasting a set by Kneecap, a Northern Irish rap trio who were investigated by police after one member, Liam Og O hAnnaidh, allegedly shouted his support of Hamas and Hezbollah on stage at a 2024 show. A BBC spokesman said: 'The BBC, Glastonbury's exclusive broadcast partner, continues to bring audiences a two-month celebration of this year's festival. This year, BBC iPlayer coverage provided over 90 hours of performances, in addition to The Glastonbury Channel and over 90 sets to watch on demand throughout July. There was also extensive coverage on BBC TV, radio and BBC Sounds – including over 30 performances and DJ sets that are now available on BBC Sounds.'
