HBO Max is suing Paramount over licensing – Miscellaneous

© Comedy Central / Courtesy of The Everett Group

HBO Max’s parent company has filed a lawsuit accusing Paramount Global of reneging on parts of the $500 million licensing deal set in 2019 for the streaming rights to “South Park” episodes.

The suit, filed Friday in New York State Supreme Court, alleges that Paramount breached the contract by directing the “South Park” specials and other content to its Paramount+ platform.

The lawsuit alleges that Paramount “blatantly intended to support Paramount+ at the expense of Warner/HBO,” and that Paramount engaged in “dual and flagrant misrepresentations of facts and breaches of contract.”

“Warner/HBO filed this suit to claim its rights and recover hundreds of millions of dollars in damages incurred as a result of the defendants’ misconduct,” the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit asserts that HBO Max has been paying Paramount to resolve the dispute for months.

HBO Max inked a massive licensing agreement with Paramount to acquire the rights to the “South Park” episodes in October 2019 as then-parent company AT&T was preparing to launch HBO Max in May 2020.

“South Park” has been a staple on Paramount Global’s Comedy Central channel for over 25 years. The enduring animated comedy, which hails from Trey Parker and Matt Stone, is in its 26th season and has amassed over 300 episodes to date.

More is coming…