Trey Parker and Matt Stone had been in a heated dispute with Paramount and its incoming owners Skydance over the future of their deal with the company.

"South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have officially extended their overall deal with Paramount Global for a further five years

So in late June, the U.S. rights expired, though the show remained on HBO Max. Then, earlier this month, the international rights expired, and Paramount had to pull all 26 seasons of "South Park" from Paramount Plus in regions outside of the U.S. It even forced Paramount to push the premiere of "South Park" season 27 to this Wednesday (July 23).