South Park Delay Tied to Paramount-Skydance Merger

The premiere of South Park Season 27 has been delayed from July 9 to July 23 due to ongoing legal and business turmoil tied to the pending merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media, which still requires FCC approval. The delay is also connected to unresolved streaming rights disputes with Warner Bros. Discovery and Netflix. Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have publicly criticized the merger, citing interference in contract negotiations and ongoing instability at Paramount, including layoffs and programming disruptions. A recent $16 million settlement between Paramount and Donald Trump over a separate lawsuit has further complicated the situation. Since 2022, fans have received only limited new South Park content, leaving the show's future distribution uncertain. Despite these issues, a trailer for the new season has been released, though the creators are unsure when or how the episodes will air.