Why is South Park not on HBO Max?

Cartman in South Park Season 27

If you were halfway through binge-watching South Park or hoping to see new Season 27 episodes on HBO Max, we’ve got some bad news for you – Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s series has left the streaming service for good. 

South Park is one of the longest-running animated shows of all time and for good reason. Thanks to its unique fast turnaround format, with episodes written, animated, and voiced in just a matter of days, the creators are able to react to current events in near real-time. 

Season 27 is no different, with the latest episodes featuring everything from Superman’s Krypto to Homeland Security raids, alongside its usual hijinks from the fan fave characters (shoutout to Randy Marsh). 

Other than the Paramount+ South Park specials, HBO Max has been the streaming home of the show for the past five years, where all 26 seasons were available for your binge-watching pleasure. So, why has this changed?

Why isn’t South Park on HBO Max?

Mr. Mackey in South Park Season 27

Not only did HBO Max’s rights expire, but Parker and Stone signed a new $1.5 billion five-year deal with Paramount, making Paramount Plus the official streaming home of South Park.

As of July 24, 2025, all 26 seasons of the show are on Paramount+, with new Season 27 episodes landing on there the day after their premiere on Comedy Central. 

Let it be known that this was meant to happen sooner. You see, Warner Bros. Discovery signed a huge licensing deal in 2019, giving it the US streaming rights to Seasons 1-23, along with future seasons and new episodes through to Season 26. 

However, when Paramount Global – the parent company of the show’s long-time home, Comedy Central – launched Paramount+ in 2021, it penned a separate deal with Parker and Stone to create a series of South Park “movies”. 

Related

In 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery sued Paramount Global, alleging breach of contract and that it essentially diverted South Park viewers from its own streaming service, HBO Max. Paramount countersued, saying Warner wasn’t paying its licensing fees on time. 

The result was messy, leaving the show’s future hanging in the balance, which was only made more complex by the fact that Skydance Media entered into talks to acquire Paramount Global in 2024.

This merger was only officially completed on August 7. 2025. Thankfully, Stone and Parker were able to complete the deal with Paramount mere hours before Season 27 premiered, meaning the show’s future is confirmed for at least another five years. 

But that doesn’t make it any easier for HBO Max subscribers. The bidding wars was a complex issue, and for those who didn’t keep up with the news, its removal from WBD’s platform has come as a shock.

South Park fans hope for piracy jokes 

Now that South Park is only on Paramount Plus in the US, some are turning to more extreme measures: piracy. 

Cartman in South Park

“Welp, there’s only a few options we have now. We can either get the poorly optimized sh*t streaming app that is Paramount+, buy Blu-rays, or go argggg,” said one on Reddit

Another pointed out, “Imagine the balls if the creators did an episode playfully indicating how to pirate TV shows,” which wouldn’t be out of character for Stone and Parker. 

A third agreed, “With how much they hate Paramount after everything with the merger and South Park I could totally see an episode where the boys use a piracy site. 

“The message could be pro media preservation since that’s been a real issue for the past several years with companies killing digital services for no reason while not giving refunds to owners that bought in.”

Others are going with the more expensive yet reliable alternative: physical media. “I’m investing in a Blu-ray player and building up a box set,” said one. 

Find out when the next episode drops with our guide to the South Park Season 27 release schedule. You can also check out our ranking of the best South Park episodes and find new TV shows streaming this month.

Page was generated in 5.054713010788