HBO is coming for your all of your free time. As if Disney+ and Apple+ weren’t enough, HBO is set to launch its own additional streaming service, HBO Max. And at a press conference Tuesday evening, a number of exciting new projects and announcements were released into the wild, about both HBO proper and streaming content. Not only did we learn that the company has plans for a new Green Lantern TV series set to launch on Max, but we also learned about a number of existing series that will make their way to the new platform. One of the more exciting announcements was the news that the long-running hit animated series South Park will be available on HBO Max starting in June of 2020.
South Park is the brainchild of Trek Parker and Matt Stone, and has been on the air since its premiere back in 1997. It still airs on Comedy Central, where–for the last six years–it’s been the No. 1 primetime cable comedy series among young adults, raking in 44 million viewers on cable alone. Obviously, a streaming deal is a huge get for HBO Max. The multi-year licensing deal was made along with South Park Digital Studios, a team up between Viacom, Parker, and Stone.
All 23 seasons of the satire–about four young boys who get into trouble in their titular Colorado hometown–will land on HBO Max, which will also become the exclusive streamer for the series next three seasons. Twenty-four hours after new episodes air on Comedy Central, they’ll make their way to HBO Max, making the platform a one-stop shop for all things South Park.
“South Park is unequivocally among the best—setting the satirical gold standard, with a consistent finger on the comedy pulse,” said Kevin Reilly, chief content officer of HBO Max, in a press release about the announcement. “Audiences have connected with Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny – either alive or dead – for over 20 years, and we look forward to connecting these characters to new audiences on HBO Max.”
According to Variety, this deal comes after a bidding war earlier this month. HBO reportedly spent anywhere between $450 and $500 million for the package.
South Park will anchor HBO Max’s young adult animation section, along with other Adult Swim series like The Boondocks and Robot Chicken. The platform will also feature anime content from Crunchyroll, and has U.S. exclusive streaming rights to content from the Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli. South Park will also join other comedy behemoths like Friends, The Big Bang Theory, and the U.K. version of The Office on the HBO Max platform.
HBO also announced a new Game of Thrones prequel series and several other hot-ticket titles at their presentation on Tuesday, showing no signs of stopping. There’s already so much television out there in the world, but it looks like these major corporations won’t rest until none of us have any time to sleep. It’s an exciting and overwhelming time to be a television fan, but at least we know these beloved series are finding streaming homes so we can watch and enjoy them for many years to come.
Featured Image: Comedy Central
