South Park season debut delayed with streaming rights in limbo

COMEDY CENTRAL has delayed the upcoming debut of the new season of South Park, prompting a vitriolic response from the show’s creators.

In a statement Wednesday, Trey Parker and Matt Stone blamed the delay on complications from the pending merger of Comedy Central’s parent company Paramount Global with independent TV and film producer Skydance Media — a deal that has gotten bogged down amid regulatory scrutiny in Washington.

“This merger is a s**t-show and it’s f***ing up South Park,” the creators wrote. “We are at the studio working on new episodes and we hope the fans get to see them somehow.”

Comedy Central announced Wednesday that the premiere of the 27^th season of the hit animated comedy series would be moved to July 23 from July 9.

The show has been mired in friction lately over the future of its streaming rights. HBO Max’s exclusive streaming rights for South Park ended recently, and no new deal has been reached.

Last month, Mr. Parker and Mr. Stone Skydance of interfering in negotiations over the future of the rights, which could net them billions of dollars, and threatened legal action.

“Under the terms of the transaction agreement, Skydance has the right to approve material contracts,” the company responded at the time. — Bloomberg