The creators of South Park have inked a deal that will secure them $75 million over the next three years. But, that’s only half of the reason why Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the dynamic duo behind South Park, are happy these days. They have also signed the first 50-50 split in ad revenue for all digital media outside of syndication and DVDs.
What does this mean? It means that every time you watch South Park in any form on the Internet, Stone and Parker will pocket 50% of the ad monies. Sweet deal.
The new contract extends South Park for an additional three 14 episode seasons, taking South Park forward to a 15 year run by 2011. Not bad for a show that makes money by offending the general public. It’s that “I can’t believe they just said that” type feel that keeps people coming back for more. This is also what helped make Comedy Central a viable cable station back in 1997 when South Park made it into the public eye.
We’ll have to wait and see what other tv shows and celebrities sign a similar deal in the future. Viacom also tossed in a new animation studio for Stone and Parker, called South Park Digital Studios.
The 50-50 split with $75 million purse sets a precedent that will be hard to live up to. It also proves that the Internet is no longer the wave of the future, but something that is tangible right now.
The Internet has become a kind of Tivo/DVR for people who don’t feel like coughing up the added expense just to watch their shows whenever and wherever they want to watch them. It has also become a place where lost shows can still survive with a cult following. After NBC’s the Black Donnellys got the boot from broadcast, they had a short survival stint on NBC.com before finally being taken over by HDNet.
With South Park taking home such a hefty chunk of change with several fringe benefits, one has to wonder what will be next for larger bread-winners like The Simpsons.
