Apr 21, 2023

Paramount is filing a counterattack with Warner Bros. Discovery in their ongoing battle over the streaming rights to "South Park."

Wbd claims that Paramount engaged in an "illegal conspiracy" and used "verbal ploy" to evade the合意2019合意5 billion deal it agreed to, but Paramount says it gave wbd's streamer HBO Max everything guaranteed in the contract and time Warner would pay.

Context: We covered the Warners suit at the time it was submitted in a story that can be found here, but here is a brief summary. On May 2, Wbd sued Paramount, alleging that the company, South Park Digital Studios (SPDS), and MTV Entertainment conspired to find a way into the 2019 streaming deal worthド5 billion. According to WBD, the company used "verbal tricks designed to circumvent the terms and conditions of the 2019 contract" and used "grammatical sleight of hand" on HBO Max by "characterizing new content as a 'movie', 'movie' or 'event' and side-stepping SPD's contractual obligations." Wbd claimed that by reclassifying the new South Park content, Paramount was allowed to keep it exclusively on its own Paramount+ streaming platform.

What's Going On Now - This Wednesday, Paramount filed a counterclaim with the New York Supreme Court, arguing that HBO Max got everything it owed under the contract, but withheldつ2600 million in 2 required payments.

What does Paramount Want - According to the complaint, South Park Studios is trying to recover all outstanding license fees, totaling more than55200 million. The document states: "In addition, on the basis of WarnerMedia's significant breach of contract and its indication that it will continue to withhold license fees of more than55 million that are still being paid for the remaining 22,500 years, South Park Studios is entitled to a declaratory judgment confirming the rights and obligations of the parties under the term sheet."In other words, they want WBD to continue paying from the 2019 deal.

What is Paramount Saying - In a statement, a Paramount Global spokesman said: Discovery has categorically refused to pay more than55.50 million it owes for South Park's content it apparently received, and HBO Max continues to broadcast and exploit. Warner Bros. said Paramount Global needed to provide additional South Park content.Discovery's claims are unfounded and are not fully supported by the parties' agreement. Moreover, it does not justify wbd's refusal to receive highly valuable content and continue to make a profit.