In line with Selection, streaming platform HBO Max has argued in a brand new lawsuit that Paramount International, by way of its streaming platform Paramount+, has violated a contract that gave the previous unique streaming rights to “South Park.”
“Defendants engaged in a easy and apparent artifice of mischaracterizing the content material to keep away from obligations” of the contract, the swimsuit says.
HBO Max is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.
The lawsuit was filed Friday in New York. The criticism says that HBO Max gained the unique rights to stream new episodes of “South Park” and its previous “library” of previous episodes after an “extraordinarily aggressive” bidding course of.
However, in violation of that contract, the swimsuit claims, Paramount+ made a take care of the present’s creators for spinoff motion pictures and different spinoff media with MTV in an “illicit scheme.” The latter streamer additionally stated it paid for a sure variety of episodes and didn’t obtain them.
“South Park” airs on Comedy Central (owned by Paramount) and is likely one of the longest-running TV reveals ever, as Bloomberg famous. It follows the adventures of a gaggle of 4 boys who run round making jokes within the eponymous Colorado small city.
HBO claims it paid “greater than half a billion {dollars}” for the rights to stream it solely.
“Exclusivity was so necessary to Warner/HBO that when SPDS requested Warner/HBO whether or not it might think about sharing the rights to South Park with CBS All Entry or one other Paramount streamer, Warner/HBO rejected the proposition as a ‘non-starter,'” the lawsuit stated.
SPDS is South Park Digital Studios, a media firm that produces “South Park” in addition to has accomplished titles like “The E-book of Mormon.”
“We imagine these claims are with out advantage and look ahead to demonstrating so by way of the authorized course of,” Paramount stated, per Selection.
