Pay television , also known as subscription television , premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel , refers to subscription -based television services, usually provided by multichannel television providers, but also increasingly via digital terrestrial and streaming television . In the United States, subscription television began in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the form of encrypted analog over-the-air broadcast television which could be decrypted with special equipment. The concept rapidly expanded through the multi-channel transition and into the post-network era . Other parts of the world beyond the United States, such as France and Latin America have also offered encrypted analog terrestrial signals available for subscription.
120-615: MTV Rocks (formerly MTV Two , MTV2 Europe and M2 ) was a British pay television music channel that was operated by ViacomCBS Networks UK & Australia . Its programming consisted of 24-hour non-stop rock/alternative music. The channel closed on 20 July 2020. The structure of the MTV Networks is different in Europe from in the United States and so the role that MTV Two plays is somewhat different. The various nation MTV channels remain
240-486: A BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Award . In the late 2000s, MTV2 Europe began to air a range of reality programming, but music was still the main focus of the channel. In 2000, the channel developed the first example of 360-degree programming. Viewers could choose an hour's worth of music and idents using the BAFTA-winning website, which would then be broadcast usually throughout the night with little or no manipulation by
360-417: A creative consultant and co-producer. After exchanging ideas, Parker will write a script, and from there the entire team of animators, editors, technicians, and sound engineers will each typically work 100–120 hours in the ensuing week. Since the show's fourth season (2000), Parker has assumed most of the show's directorial duties, while Stone relinquished his share of the directing to focus on handling
480-469: A trial period , often one to three months, though there have been rare instances of free trials for pay services that last up to one year for newer subscribers to that provider's television service. Pay television has become popular with cable and satellite television . Pay television services often, at least two to three times per year, provide free previews of their services, in order to court potential subscribers by allowing this wider audience to sample
600-464: A Czech license. Themed slots used to be a regular feature on the channel, as well as SMS -oriented shows, showing viewers' text messages in an on screen chat forum, and shows like The Takeover where artists like Sonic Youth , Fall Out Boy , The Futureheads as well as former Faith No More lead singer Mike Patton present videos they have chosen from the MTV archives. The majority of the channel's output
720-406: A crude decrypting of the over-the-air television signal and a decoding box, but never caught on for use at that time. It took another four decades when cable broadcasters started using pay-per-view on a widespread basis. "Free" variants are free-to-air (FTA) and free-to-view (FTV); however, FTV services are normally encrypted and decryption cards either come as part of an initial subscription to
840-464: A digital audio tape while a director gave directions over the phone, after which the tape would be shipped to the show's production studio in California. After Hayes left the show in early 2006, the character of Chef was killed off in the season 10 (2006) premiere " The Return of Chef ". Celebrities who are depicted on the show are usually impersonated, though some celebrities do their own voices for
960-435: A face reminiscent of the show's traditional style. Canadians on the show are often portrayed in an even more minimalist fashion; they have simple beady eyes, and the top halves of their heads simply flap up and down when the characters speak. When the show began using computers, the cardboard cutouts were scanned and re-drawn with CorelDRAW , then imported into PowerAnimator , which was used with SGI workstations to animate
1080-535: A few days' time. Each episode used to cost $ 250,000. Scripts are not written before a season begins. Production of an episode begins on a Thursday, with the show's writing consultants brainstorming with Parker and Stone. Former staff writers include Pam Brady , who has since written scripts for the films Hot Rod , Hamlet 2 and Team America: World Police (with Parker and Stone), and Nancy Pimental , who served as co-host of Win Ben Stein's Money and wrote
1200-455: A few staff members voice recurring characters. Supervising producer Jennifer Howell voices student Bebe Stevens ; co-producer and storyboard artist Adrien Beard voices Tolkien Black , who was the school's only African-American student until the introduction of Nichole in " Cartman Finds Love "; writing consultant Vernon Chatman voices an anthropomorphic towel named Towelie ; and production supervisor John Hansen voices Mr. Slave ,
1320-503: A fictional Colorado town in the real-life South Park basin. Fox eagerly agreed to meet with the duo about the show's premise, having prided itself on edgier products such as Cops , The Simpsons , and The X-Files . However, during the meeting at the Fox office in Century City , disagreements between the two creators and the network began to arise, mainly over the latter's refusal to air
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#17328846535971440-627: A focus on their parent companies' libraries, with HBO Now replaced by HBO Max (now Max) in 2020 (which adds content from other Warner Bros. properties and third-parties, and would also be included with existing HBO subscriptions via television providers), and Showtime formally merging with Paramount+ in 2023. Canadian premium service The Movie Network similarly merged with the CraveTV service owned by parent company Bell Media in 2018. Pay-per-view (PPV) services are similar to subscription-based pay television services in that customers must pay to have
1560-544: A funnier show. The schedule also allows South Park to both stay more topical and respond more quickly to specific current events than other satiric animated shows. One of the earliest examples of this was in the season four (2000) episode " Quintuplets 2000 ", which references the United States Border Patrol 's raid of a house during the Elián González affair , an event which occurred only four days before
1680-513: A lower subscription fee. These are called "mini-pay" channels (a term also used for smaller scale commercial-free pay television services) and are often sold as a part of a package with numerous similarly priced channels. Usually, however, the regular pricing for premium channels ranges from just under $ 10 to near $ 25 per month per suite, with lower prices available via bundling options with cable or satellite providers, or special limited offers which are available during free preview periods or before
1800-417: A main flagship channel is accompanied by secondary services with distinct schedules focusing on specific genres and audiences (such as multiplexes focusing more on "classic" films, or family-oriented programming), time shifting , or brand licensing deals (such as channels focusing specifically on Disney films , or content from U.S. pay television brands if they do not specifically run their own network in
1920-412: A mere three days prior to the episode airing. The season 12 (2008) episode " About Last Night... " revolves around Barack Obama 's victory in the 2008 presidential election , and aired less than 24 hours after Obama was declared the winner, using segments of dialogue from Obama's real victory speech. On October 16, 2013, the show failed to meet their production deadline for the first time ever, after
2040-535: A mix of original series, films, and specials. The shift towards SVOD has resulted in increasing competition within the sector, with media conglomerates having launched their own services (such as Disney+ , Paramount+ , Peacock , and Disney's acquisition of the majority of Hulu ) to compete, and existing premium networks such as HBO ( HBO Now ) and Showtime launching direct-to-consumer versions of their existing services to appeal to cord cutters . HBO and Showtime later absorbed their DTC offerings into wider services with
2160-629: A pay television bouquet – in other words, an offer of pay-TV channels – or can be purchased for a one-time cost. FTA and FTV systems may still have selective access. ABC Australia is one example, as much of its programming content is free-to-air except for National Rugby League (NRL) games, which are encrypted. South Park South Park is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone , and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central . The series revolves around four boys— Stan Marsh , Kyle Broflovski , Eric Cartman , and Kenny McCormick —and their exploits in and around
2280-401: A poor family, tightly wears his parka hood to the point where it obscures most of his face and muffles his speech. During the first five seasons, Kenny died in almost every episode before reappearing in the next with no definite explanation. He was killed off in the fifth season episode " Kenny Dies ", before being reintroduced in the sixth season finale, " Red Sleigh Down ". Since then, Kenny
2400-557: A power outage on October 15 at the production studio prevented the episode, season 17's " Goth Kids 3: Dawn of the Posers ", from being finished in time. The episode was rescheduled to air a week later on October 23, 2013. The show's style of animation is inspired by the paper cut-out cartoons made by Terry Gilliam for Monty Python's Flying Circus , of which Parker and Stone have been lifelong fans. Construction paper and traditional stop motion cutout animation techniques were used in
2520-689: A restriction as a few providers optionally sell that service without requiring a Showtime subscription. Unlike other cable networks, premium services are almost always subscribed to a la carte , meaning that one can, for example, subscribe to HBO without subscribing to Showtime (in Canada, there are slight modifications, as most providers include U.S. superstations – such as WAPA-TV – with their main premium package by default). However, subscribing to an "individual" service automatically includes access to all of that service's available multiplex channels and, in some cases, access to content via video-on-demand (in
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#17328846535972640-425: A seasonal package. They are typically the most expensive type of pay services, generally running in the range of $ 35 to $ 50 per month. Some pay services also offer pornographic films ; Cinemax was well known for carrying a late-night block of softcore films and series known as "Max After Dark"—a reputation that led to the network often being nicknamed "Skinemax" by viewers. Cinemax phased out this programming in
2760-540: A short time during the 1980s, and unlike other general-interest pay services accepted outside advertising for broadcast during its sports telecasts), Preview , SelecTV and ON TV in the late 1970s, but those services disappeared as competition from cable television expanded during the 1980s. In Australia , Foxtel , Optus Television and TransACT are the major pay television distributors, all of which provide cable services in some metropolitan areas , with Foxtel providing satellite service for all other areas where cable
2880-434: A show that included a supporting talking stool character named Mr. Hankey . Some executives at 20th Century Fox Television (which was to produce the series) agreed with its then-sister network's stance on Mr. Hankey and repeatedly requested Parker and Stone to remove the character in order for the show to proceed. Refusing to meet their demands, the duo cut ties with Fox and its sister companies all together and began shopping
3000-563: A similar on-air identity as other MTV Networks International's channels. The channel has a similar playlist and schedule as MTV2 Europe for the time being. On 10 January 2011, MTV Rocks launched in Italy replacing MTV Brand New . MTV Rocks began broadcasting in widescreen on 6 March 2012. In 2018 and 2019, MTV Rocks was temporarily rebranded as VH1 Christmas, which played Christmas-themed music until Boxing Day. Unlike MTV Xmas , it also played regular pop/mixed hits until early January. VH1 Christmas
3120-401: A specific market). Typically, these services are bundled together with the main channel at no additional charge, and cannot be purchased separately. Depending on local regulations, pay television services generally have more lenient content standards because of their relatively narrower distribution, and not being subject to pressure from sponsors to tone down content. As a result, programming
3240-481: Is Canal+ and its scrambled services, which operated in France from 1984 to the 2011 closedown of analogue television, Spain from 1990 to 2005 and Poland from 1995 to 2001. Some U.S. television stations launched pay services (known simply as "subscription television" services) such as SuperTV , Wometco Home Theater , PRISM (which principally operated as a cable service, only being simultaneously carried over-the-air for
3360-458: Is depicted as dying sporadically. During the first 58 episodes, the children were in the third grade . During the fourth season , they entered the fourth grade , where they have remained ever since. Plots are often set in motion by events, ranging from the fairly typical to the supernatural and extraordinary, which frequently happen in the town. The boys often act as the voice of reason when these events cause panic or incongruous behavior among
3480-414: Is fast in the opening and leisurely in the closing credits. It is in the minor key and it features a tritone or a diminished fifth, creating a melodic dissonance , which captures the show's surrealistic nature. In the latter parts of seasons 4 and 5, the opening tune has an electro funk arrangement with pop qualities. Seasons 6–9 have a sprightly bluegrass instrumentation with a usage of banjo and
3600-602: Is included in various publications' lists of the greatest television shows. It has received numerous accolades, including five Primetime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award . A theatrical film, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut , was released in June 1999 to commercial and critical success, garnering an Academy Award nomination. In 2013, TV Guide ranked South Park the tenth Greatest TV Cartoon of All Time. South Park centers around four boys: Stan Marsh , Kyle Broflovski , Eric Cartman and Kenny McCormick . The boys live in
3720-439: Is modeled after Parker, while Kyle is modeled after Stone. They are best friends, and their friendship, symbolically intended to reflect Parker and Stone's friendship, is a common topic throughout the series. Cartman (as he is commonly referred to) is amoral and increasingly psychopathic , and is commonly portrayed as an antagonist . His staunch antisemitism has resulted in a progressive rivalry with Kyle. Kenny, who comes from
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3840-431: Is most synonymous with premium entertainment services focused on films or general entertainment programming such as, in the United States, Cinemax , HBO , MGM+ , Showtime , and Starz , but such services can also include those devoted to sports , as well as adult entertainment . In contrast to most other multichannel television broadcasters, which depend on advertising and carriage fees as their sources of revenue,
3960-701: Is not available. Austar formerly operated as a satellite pay service, until it merged with Foxtel and SelecTV . The major distributors of pay television in New Zealand are Sky Network Television on satellite and Vodafone on cable. In the 2010s, over-the-top subscription video on demand (SVOD) services distributed via internet video emerged as a major competitor to traditional pay television, with services such as Amazon Video , Hulu , and Netflix gaining prominence. Similarly to pay television services, their libraries include acquired content (which can not only include films, but acquired television series as well), and
4080-451: Is set in the major key . For the later seasons, the arrangement is electro rock with a breakbeat influence, which feature electric guitars backed up by synthesized , groovy drumbeats. The opening theme song has been remixed three times during the course of the series, including a remix performed by Paul Robb . In 2006, the theme music was remixed with the song "Whamola" by Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade , from
4200-409: Is today Kenny, and two near-identical unnamed characters who resemble Stan and Kyle. Fox Broadcasting Company executive and mutual friend Brian Graden commissioned Parker and Stone to create a second short film as a video Christmas card. Created in 1995, the second The Spirit of Christmas short resembled the style of the later series more closely. To differentiate between the two homonymous shorts,
4320-717: Is typically aired with limited to no edits for time or, where applicable, mature content such as graphic violence , profanity , nudity , and sexual activity . As premium television services are commonly devoid of traditional commercial advertising, breaks between programming typically include promotions for upcoming programs , and interstitial segments (such as behind-the-scenes content, interviews, and other feature segments). Some sports-based pay services, however, may feature some commercial advertising, particularly if they simulcast sporting events that are broadcast by advertiser-supported television networks. In addition, most general interest or movie-based pay services do not adhere to
4440-464: The Brixton Academy gig broadcast in a Gonzo special. MTV Rocks' on-air identity has been produced by Dutch graphic design team PostPanic . MTV Rocks reflects MTV Networks Internationals on-air and off-air branding. The graphics were commissioned by MTV Networks Internationals design team MTV World Design Studio who have created the original MTV Popx1000 branding. Pay television The term
4560-502: The Thanksgiving episode " Starvin' Marvin ", but declined to appear when he was only offered a role as "Turkey #2". Parker says that the varying uses of music are of utmost importance to South Park . Several characters often play or sing songs in order to change or influence a group's behavior, or to educate, motivate, or indoctrinate others. The show also frequently features scenes in which its characters have disapproving reactions to
4680-513: The University of Colorado in 1992 and discovered a shared love of Monty Python , which they often cite as one of their primary inspirations. They created an animated short entitled The Spirit of Christmas . The film was created by animating construction paper cutouts with stop motion , and features prototypes of the main characters of South Park , including a character resembling Cartman but named "Kenny", an unnamed character resembling what
4800-535: The Wimbledon tennis tournament. Specialty pay sports channels also exist—often focusing on international sports considered niche to domestic audiences (such as, in the United States, cricket ), and are typically sold at a higher expense than traditional premium services. Out-of-market sports packages in North America are multi-channel pay services carrying professional or collegiate sporting events which are sold in
4920-555: The business cycle , some broadcasters try to balance them with more stable income from subscriptions. Some providers offer services owned by the same company in a single package. For example, American satellite provider DirecTV offers the Encore channels along with the Starz multiplex (both owned by Lionsgate 's Starz Inc. ) in its "Starz Super Pack"; and The Movie Channel , Flix and SundanceTV (the latter of which continues to be sold in
MTV Rocks (British and Irish TV channel) - Misplaced Pages Continue
5040-471: The fictional small town of South Park, located within the real-life South Park basin in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado , approximately a one-hour drive from Denver . The town is also home to an assortment of other characters, including students , families , elementary school staff , and other various residents . Prominent settings include South Park Elementary, various neighborhoods and
5160-457: The pilot episode " Cartman Gets an Anal Probe ". South Park was in danger of being canceled before it even aired when the show fared poorly with test audiences, particularly with women. However, the shorts were still gaining more popularity over the Internet, and Comedy Central ordered a run of six episodes. South Park debuted with "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" on August 13, 1997. Except for
5280-524: The 1981 animated film Heavy Metal , implements scenes accomplished with rotoscoping . Parker and Stone voice most of the male South Park characters. Mary Kay Bergman voiced the majority of the female characters until her death in November 1999. Mona Marshall and Eliza Schneider succeeded Bergman, with Schneider leaving the show after its seventh season (2003). She was replaced by April Stewart , who, along with Marshall, continues to voice most of
5400-586: The 2010s, citing that it did not align with its current focus on action programming, and that internet porn and the amount of sexual content in other mainstream premium series (such as Game of Thrones ) made a specific block for such content redundant. Specialized channels dedicated to pornographic films also exist, that carry either softcore adult programs (such as Playboy TV ), or more hardcore content (such as The Erotic Network and Hustler TV ). Pay television channels come in different price ranges. Many channels carrying advertising combine this income with
5520-467: The DirecTV package despite Showtime Networks no longer owning Sundance, that channel is now owned by AMC Networks ) along with Showtime in its "Showtime Unlimited" package; Cinemax and its multiplex networks, in turn, are almost always packaged with HBO (both owned by Warner Bros. Discovery ). Though selling premium services that are related by ownership as a package is common, that may not always be
5640-517: The MTV2 Internet forums . It was relaunched in 2006, moving from an hour-long format broadcasting every weekday to a single two-hour show on a Friday. The show won the NME Award for Best TV Show in 2006. Unlike other MTV channels available in Europe which have regular commercial breaks, MTV 2 (as it was) ran without any advertising (apart from MTV promotions and idents) for large parts of the day, which
5760-548: The Stone Age , Kaiser Chiefs and Maxïmo Park have played in the past, and in 2005 the tour featured bands such as The Rakes , Arctic Monkeys , Editors , and The Subways headlining one venue each, with support from Test Icicles and Be Your Own Pet . In May 2006 the channel held a series of gigs at Brighton 's Great Escape festival, with The Futureheads , The Cribs and Mystery Jets headlining alongside bands such as Metric , The Sunshine Underground and The Fratellis ;
5880-514: The US focused on reality TV programming, alternative music videos and alternative hip-hop. The TV station was one of the first media outlets to lead with its website strategy and follow with the TV programming. Viewers could program an hour of television content via the website, designed by Brad Smith and Mickey Stretton with the agency Digit, it broadcast later that month. The website won a number of awards including
6000-524: The United Kingdom, Ireland, Scandinavia, France, and Spain. In 2002, MTV Networks Europe expanded M2's availability across Europe and decided to rebrand M2 as MTV2 similar to the rebranding on its sister network in the United States . The structure of the MTV2 in the United States differed from its European counterpart. MTV2 Europe primarily focused on alternative indie themed shows and music videos, while MTV2 in
6120-498: The United States with the TV-14 rating. 20th Television replaced Tribune as co-distributor in early 2008. By the time its run in syndication ended in 2015, it aired in 90 percent of the television markets across the United States and Canada, where it generated an estimated US$ 25 million a year in advertising revenue. In 2019, CBS Television Distribution (the syndication arm of ViacomCBS, now known as Paramount Global ), took over
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#17328846535976240-421: The United States, so local servers have been set up in other countries. In September 2009, a South Park Studios website with streaming episodes was launched in the United Kingdom and Ireland. In Canada, episodes were available for streaming from The Comedy Network's website, though due to digital rights restrictions, they are no longer available. In April 2010, the season five episode " Super Best Friends " and
6360-571: The Winds , and many other regionally specific characteristics. Stan is portrayed as an average American boy; however, he has many mishaps throughout the series. In the first 22 seasons, Stan lived in South Park, but in the episodes during and after season 22 , Stan resided in Tegridy Farms. Kyle is Jewish , and his portrayal as one of the few such people in South Park is often dealt with satirically. Stan
6480-641: The adult populace, who are customarily depicted as irrational, gullible, and prone to overreaction. They are frequently confused by the contradictory and hypocritical behavior of their parents and other adults, and often perceive them as having distorted views on morality and society. Each episode opens with a tongue-in-cheek all persons fictitious disclaimer : "All characters and events in this show—even those based on real people—are entirely fictional. All celebrity voices are impersonated.....poorly. The following program contains coarse language and due to its content it should not be viewed by anyone." South Park
6600-733: The aforementioned leniency in content standards, they too can contain content that is more mature than those of other cable channels or television networks . These series also tend to be high-budget and aim for critical success in order to attract subscribers: notable premium series, such as HBO 's Curb Your Enthusiasm , Game of Thrones , Sex and the City , and The Sopranos , and Showtime 's Dexter , Homeland , and Weeds , have achieved critical acclaim and have won various television awards. Some premium channels also broadcast television specials , which most commonly consist of concerts and concert films , documentaries , stand-up comedy , and in
6720-452: The album Purple Onion . South Park is broadcast internationally in several countries and territories, including India, New Zealand, and several countries throughout Europe and Latin America on channels that are subsidiaries of Comedy Central and Paramount Media Networks , both subsidiaries of Paramount. In distribution deals with Comedy Central, other independent networks also broadcast
6840-525: The announcement every episode remained available for free on the South Park Studios website, using the Hulu player . As of September 2014, following the premiere of the eighteenth season, only 30 select episodes would be featured for free viewing at a time on a rotating basis on the website, with new episodes being available for an entire month starting the day following their original airings. The entire series
6960-450: The barks for Stan's dog Sparky in the season one (1997) episode " Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride ", Leno provided the meows for Cartman's cat in the season one finale " Cartman's Mom Is a Dirty Slut ", and Henry Winkler voiced the various growls and grunts of a kid-eating monster in the season two (1998) episode " City on the Edge of Forever ". Jerry Seinfeld offered to lend his voice for
7080-419: The broadcast decrypted for viewing, but usually only entail a one-time payment for a single or time-limited viewing. Programs offered via pay-per-view are most often movies or sporting events, but may also include other events, such as concerts and even softcore adult programs. In the U.S., the initial concept and technology for pay-per-view for broadcast television was first developed in the early 1950s, including
7200-664: The channel was " Don't Look Back in Anger " by Oasis . In May 2023, a rock music video feed under the MTV Rocks name was added to the UK service of Paramount Global streaming platform Pluto TV . This followed the 2022 introduction of an MTV Classic -branded stream and other thematic MTV music channels, some seasonal, to the platform. In 2014, MTV Rocks, as well as MTV Hits and MTV Dance, started broadcasting European versions, without commercials or teleshopping and without VH1 Christmas. The channels have
7320-527: The channel. Viewers would be emailed their transmission time, their selection and the option to forward to friends. It was one of the first 100% Adobe Flash websites. In September 2002, MTV2 Europe introduced its own on-screen presentation and graphics, and started to use much more original programming, the jewel in the station's crown being Gonzo , hosted by the then MTV UK & Ireland DJ and former BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe and regularly featuring interviews with bands along with contributions from members of
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#17328846535977440-453: The character's death on the show, were listed as "Chef's Band" in the closing credits. Rick James , Elton John , Meat Loaf , Joe Strummer , Ozzy Osbourne , Primus , Rancid , and Ween all guest starred and briefly performed in the season two (1998) episode " Chef Aid ". Korn debuted their single " Falling Away from Me " as guest stars on the season three (1999) episode " Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery ". The show's theme song
7560-486: The characters. The workstations were linked to a 54-processor render farm that could render 10 to 15 shots an hour. Beginning with season five , the animators began using Maya instead of PowerAnimator. As of 2012, the studio ran a 120-processor render farm that can produce 30 or more shots an hour. PowerAnimator and Maya are high-end programs mainly used for 3D computer graphics , while co-producer and former animation director Eric Stough notes that PowerAnimator
7680-400: The cheap cutout animation look. A few episodes feature sections of live-action footage, while others have incorporated other styles of animation. Portions of the season eight (2004) premiere " Good Times with Weapons " are done in anime style, while the season 10 episode " Make Love, Not Warcraft " is done partly in machinima . The season 12 episode " Major Boobage ", a homage to
7800-432: The child characters, and Time described the boys as "sometimes cruel but with a core of innocence". Usually, the boys or other characters pondered over what transpired during an episode and conveyed the important lesson taken from it with a short monologue. During earlier seasons, this speech commonly began with a variation of the phrase "You know, I've learned something today...". Parker and Stone met in film class at
7920-436: The children, Chef would also sing about things relevant to what had transpired in the plot. These songs were original compositions written by Parker, and they were performed by Hayes in the same sexually suggestive R&B style he had used during his own music career. The band DVDA, which consists of Parker and Stone, along with show staff members Bruce Howell and D.A. Young, performed the music for these compositions and, until
8040-428: The common top and bottom of the hour scheduling of other cable channels and terrestrial broadcasters. As such, programs often air using either conventional scheduling or have airtimes in five-minute increments (for example, 7:05 a.m. or 4:40 p.m.); since such channels broadcast content without in-program break interruptions, this sometimes leads to extended or abbreviated breaks between programs, depending on when
8160-405: The coordination and business aspects of the production. On Wednesday, a completed episode is sent to Comedy Central's headquarters via satellite uplink, sometimes just a few hours before its air time of 10 PM Eastern Time . Parker and Stone state that subjecting themselves to a one-week deadline creates more spontaneity amongst themselves in the creative process, which they feel results in
8280-468: The episode originally aired. The season nine (2005) episode " Best Friends Forever " references the Terri Schiavo case , and originally aired in the midst of the controversy and less than 12 hours before she died. A scene in the season seven (2003) finale " It's Christmas in Canada " references the discovery of dictator Saddam Hussein in a "spider hole" and his subsequent capture , which happened
8400-479: The female characters. Bergman was originally listed in the credits under the alias Shannen Cassidy to protect her reputation as the voice of several Disney and other kid-friendly characters. Stewart was originally credited under the name Gracie Lazar, while Schneider was sometimes credited under her rock opera performance pseudonym Blue Girl. Other voice actors and members of South Park 's production staff have voiced minor characters for various episodes, while
8520-401: The film The Sweetest Thing after her tenure with the show during its first three seasons. Television producer and writer Norman Lear , an idol of both Parker and Stone, served as a guest writing consultant for the season seven (2003) episodes " Cancelled " and " I'm a Little Bit Country ". During the 12th and 13th seasons, Saturday Night Live actor and writer Bill Hader served as
8640-439: The first short is often referred to as Jesus vs. Frosty , and the second short as Jesus vs. Santa . Graden sent copies of the video to several of his friends, and from there it was copied and distributed, including on the internet, where it became one of the first viral videos . As Jesus vs. Santa became more popular, Parker and Stone began talks of developing the short into a television series about four children residing in
8760-557: The flagship channels bringing a wide variety of popular music and many different show formats (including documentaries, reality TV, charts, text shows, and countdowns) however digital satellite in the UK has allowed MTV to operate subsidiary channels with their own specialist areas. So while in the US MTV2 was a varied, slightly alternative channel in the past, in Europe MTV Two was dedicated exclusively to alternative rock and indie , with
8880-644: The form of a conventional VOD television service, and in some cases, a companion on-demand streaming service as well). Most pay television providers also offer a selection of premium services (for example, the HBO, Showtime and Starz packages) in one bundle at a greatly reduced price than it would cost to purchase each service separately, as an inducement for subscribers to remain with their service provider or for others to induce subscribers into using their service. Similarly, many television providers offer general interest or movie-based premium channels at no additional charge for
9000-406: The former gay lover of Mr. Garrison . Throughout the show's run, the voices for toddler and kindergarten characters have been provided by various small children of the show's production staff. When voicing child characters, the voice actors speak within their normal vocal range while adding a childlike inflection. The recorded audio is then edited with Pro Tools , and the pitch is altered to make
9120-438: The full distribution rights following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox (parent of 20th Television) by The Walt Disney Company (who had employed Debmar-Mercury founder Mort Marcus as the head of their syndication division ), distributing the show in syndication. In 2021, South Park Studios struck a deal with ViacomCBS , which allows the show to be renewed all the way up to season 30 and 14 additional films, enough to carry
9240-591: The gigs were filmed and broadcast a few weeks later alongside interviews and backstage clips. Other live events MTV Two have staged include the Bandwagon Tour featuring Viva Voce , Clor , The Departure and The Kooks , along with gigs at SXSW and coverage of the Reading and Leeds festivals . In November 2006, MTV Two hosted its first Spanking New Music Tour where Fields , Forward Russia and The Maccabees supported headliners Wolfmother , with live footage from
9360-580: The highest ratings of any basic cable program. Subsequent ratings have varied, but it remains one of Comedy Central's longest-running programs. In August 2021, South Park was renewed through 2027, and a series of television specials was announced for Paramount+ , the first two of which were released later that year. In October 2019, it was announced that WarnerMedia acquired exclusive streaming rights to South Park starting in June 2020 for HBO Max . The series' twenty-sixth season premiered on February 8, 2023. South Park has received critical acclaim, and
9480-454: The launch of a network's prestige series. However, some other channels, such as sports and adult networks may ask for monthly pricing that may go as high as near $ 50 a month. There are also premium television services which are priced significantly higher than the mini-pay channels, but they compensate for their higher price by carrying little or no advertising and also providing a higher quality program output. As advertising sales are sensitive to
9600-467: The majority of pay television services rely almost solely on monthly subscription fees paid by individual customers. As a result, pay television outlets are most concerned with offering content that can justify the cost of the service, which helps to attract new subscribers, and retain existing subscribers. Many pay television services consist of multiple individual channels, referred to as " multiplex " services (in reference to multiplex cinemas ), where
9720-459: The narrator of the season four episode " Pip ". Jennifer Aniston , Richard Belzer , Natasha Henstridge , Norman Lear , and Peter Serafinowicz have guest starred as other speaking characters. During South Park 's earliest seasons, several high-profile celebrities inquired about guest-starring on the show. As a joke, Parker and Stone responded by offering low-profile, non-speaking roles, most of which were accepted; George Clooney provided
9840-424: The next day after their Comedy Central airing. Once that deal expires in 2025, Paramount+ will become the exclusive streaming home. In addition, the season 27 episodes would stream first on Paramount+ before hitting HBO Max. Though season 27 would have originally aired in 2024, the season was delayed due to what Parker and Stone claimed to be uncertainties about the 2024 United States presidential election (mainly
9960-545: The occasional alternative hip hop song; while other music output carried on MTV Base, MTV Dance, and MTV Hits covering urban music ( hip hop , rap , R&B and garage ), electronic dance music , and chart music respectively. MTV Rocks initially began as M2 in October 1998: the channel had an interactive feel to it. Here viewers controlled the overall content of M2 in terms of its playlist and channel identity. The channel initially had limited availability only being available in
10080-446: The opportunity for the show to spoof both extreme sides of contentious issues, while lampooning both liberal and conservative points of view. Rebecca Raphael described the show as "an equal opportunity offender", while Parker and Stone describe their main purpose as to "be funny" and "make people laugh", while stating that no particular topic or group of people be exempt from mockery and satire. Parker and Stone insist that
10200-543: The original animated shorts and in the pilot episode. Subsequent episodes have been produced by computer animation , providing a similar look to the originals while requiring a fraction of the time to produce. Before computer artists begin animating an episode, a series of animatics drawn in Toon Boom are provided by the show's storyboard artists. The characters and objects are composed of simple geometrical shapes and primary and secondary colors . Most child characters are
10320-494: The original term of license agreements with a distributor may also be broadcast as "sub-runs", in which a service holds rights to film long after the conclusion of a distribution agreement (under this arrangement, the pay service that originally licensed the rights to a particular film title, or one other than that which had held rights, may hold the broadcast rights through a library content deal). Many general interest premium channels also produce original television series . Due to
10440-587: The past, theatrical plays . Sports programming is also featured on some premium services; HBO was historically known for its broadcasts of boxing , while Showtime and Epix also carry mixed martial arts events. Some general interest premium channels have aired other professional sporting events in the past: HBO for example, carried games from the National Hockey League (NHL), National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA) in its early years, and from 1975 to 1999 aired
10560-533: The performances of certain popular musicians. Adam Berry , the show's original score composer, used sound synthesis to simulate a small orchestra, and frequently alluded to existing famous pieces of music. Berry also used signature acoustic guitar and mandolin cues as leitmotifs for the show's establishing shots. After Berry left in 2001, Jamie Dunlap and Scott Nickoley of the Los Angeles-based Mad City Production Studios provided
10680-542: The pilot episode, which was produced using cutout animation , all episodes of South Park are created with the use of software, primarily Autodesk Maya . As opposed to the pilot, which took three months to complete, and other animated sitcoms, which are traditionally hand-drawn by companies in South Korea in a process that takes roughly eight to nine months, individual episodes of South Park take significantly less time to produce. Using computers as an animation method,
10800-521: The previous program concludes and when the start time of the next program is. The only universal variation to this is prime time , where the main channel in each pay service's suite usually schedules films to start on the hour. Films comprise much of the content seen on most pay television services, particularly those with a general entertainment format and those that focus exclusively on films . Services often obtain rights to films through exclusive agreements with film distributors . Films acquired during
10920-505: The release of season twelve . Subsequent seasons have been released in this format alongside the longer-running DVD releases. The first eleven seasons were released on Blu-ray for the first time in December 2017. In March 2008, Comedy Central made every episode of South Park available for free full-length on-demand legal streaming on the official South Park Studios website. From March 2008 until December 2013, new episodes were added to
11040-471: The same size and shape, and are distinguished by their clothing, hair and skin colors, and headwear. Characters are mostly presented two-dimensionally and from only one angle. Their movements are animated in an intentionally jerky fashion, as they are purposely not offered the same free range of motion associated with hand-drawn characters. Occasionally, some non-fictional characters are depicted with photographic cutouts of their actual head and face in lieu of
11160-489: The season fourteen episodes " 200 " and " 201 " were removed from the site; additionally, these episodes no longer air in reruns and are only available exclusively on DVD and Blu-ray. These episodes remain unavailable following the 2014 purchase by Hulu. In July 2014, it was announced that Hulu had signed a three-year deal purchasing exclusive online streaming rights to the South Park for a reported $ 80 million. Following
11280-542: The series in other international markets. In Australia, the show is broadcast on The Comedy Channel , Comedy Central and free-to-air channel SBS Viceland (before 2009), while new episodes aired on SBS . The program also airs free-to-air in Australia on 10 Shake , a sister network to Comedy Central through Paramount. The series is broadcast uncensored in Canada in English on The Comedy Network and, later, Much . The series
11400-402: The series somewhere else. The two then entered negotiations with both MTV and Comedy Central . Parker preferred the show be produced by Comedy Central, fearing that MTV would turn it into a kids show. When Comedy Central executive Doug Herzog watched the short, he commissioned for it to be developed into a series. Parker and Stone assembled a small staff and spent three months creating
11520-472: The series' production. The pilot episode was produced using cutout animation ; the remainder of the series uses computer animation recalling the prior technique. Since the fourth season, episodes are generally written and produced during the week preceding its broadcast, with Parker serving as the lead writer and director. Since its debut on August 13, 1997, 328 episodes of South Park have been broadcast. It debuted with great success, consistently earning
11640-529: The service for a period of days or weeks; these are typically scheduled to showcase major special event programming, such as the pay cable premiere of a blockbuster feature film, the premiere (either a series or season premiere ) of a widely anticipated or critically acclaimed original series or occasionally, a high-profile special (such as a concert). Subscription services transmitted via analogue terrestrial television have also existed, to varying degrees of success. The most known example of such service in Europe
11760-489: The show is still more about "kids being kids" and "what it's like to be in [elementary school] in America ", stating that the introduction of a more satirical element to the series was the result of the two adding more of a "moral center" to the show so that it would rely less on simply being crude and shocking in an attempt to maintain an audience. While profane, Parker notes that there is still an "underlying sweetness" aspect to
11880-476: The show occasionally earlier on, it became more prevalent as the series progressed, with the show retaining some of its focus on the boys' fondness of scatological humor in an attempt to remind adult viewers "what it was like to be eight years old". Parker and Stone also began further developing other characters by giving them larger roles in certain storylines, and began writing plots as parables based on religion, politics, and numerous other topics. This provided
12000-455: The show to at least 2027. Complete seasons of South Park have been regularly released in their entirety on DVD since 2002, with season twenty-six being the most recently released. Several other themed DVD compilations have been released by Rhino Entertainment and Comedy Central, while the three-episode Imaginationland story arc was reissued straight-to-DVD as a full-length feature in 2008. Blu-ray releases started in 2008 with
12120-566: The show's executive producers throughout its entire history. Debbie Liebling , who was Senior Vice President of original programming and development for Comedy Central, also served as an executive producer during the show's first five seasons, coordinating the show's production efforts between South Park Studios and Comedy Central's headquarters in New York City. During its early stages, finished episodes of South Park were hastily recorded to D-2 to be sent to Comedy Central for airing in just
12240-482: The show's original music for the next seven seasons. Since 2008, Dunlap has been credited as the show's sole score composer. Dunlap's contributions to the show are one of the few that are not achieved at the show's own production offices. Dunlap reads a script, creates a score using digital audio software, and then e-mails the audio file to South Park Studios, where it is edited to fit with the completed episode. In addition to singing in an effort to explain something to
12360-605: The show's production staff were able to generate an episode in about three weeks during the first seasons. Now, with a staff of about 70 people, episodes are typically completed in one week, with some in as little as three to four days. Nearly the entire production of an episode is accomplished within one set of offices, which were originally at a complex in Westwood, Los Angeles, California and are now part of South Park Studios in Culver City, California . Parker and Stone have been
12480-427: The show. Celebrities who have voiced themselves include Michael Buffer , Brent Musburger , Jay Leno , Robert Smith , and the bands Radiohead and Korn . Comedy team Cheech & Chong voiced characters representing their likenesses for the season four (2000) episode " Cherokee Hair Tampons ", which was the duo's first collaborative effort in 20 years. Malcolm McDowell appears in live-action sequences as
12600-406: The site the day following their debut, and an uncensored version was posted the following day. The episode stayed up for the remainder of the week, then taken down, and added to the site three weeks later. Within a week, the site served more than a million streams of full episodes, and the number grew to 55 million by October 2008. Legal issues prevent the U.S. content from being accessible outside
12720-465: The situation: for example, in the United States, Cinemax and Encore are optionally sold separately from or in a single package with their respective parent networks HBO and Starz, depending on the service provider. The Movie Channel and Flix meanwhile, are usually sold together with Showtime (all three channels are owned by Paramount Global ); though subscribers are required to purchase Showtime in order to receive Flix, The Movie Channel does not have such
12840-647: The surrounding mountain range, actual Colorado landmarks, and the businesses along the town's main street, all of which are based on the appearance of similar locations in Fairplay, Colorado . As one of the few television programs set in the Mountain West region that takes place outside the urban core of Denver, South Park frequently features the unique culture of the region, including cattle ranchers, Old West theme parks, snowy climates, mountaineering, Mormons , real-life Colorado locations such as Casa Bonita and Cave of
12960-427: The titular Colorado town. South Park also features many recurring characters. The series became infamous for its profanity and dark , surreal humor that satirizes a large range of subject matter . Parker and Stone developed South Park from two animated short films, both titled The Spirit of Christmas , released in 1992 and 1995. The second short became one of the first Internet viral videos , leading to
13080-526: The voice sound more like that of a fourth grader. Isaac Hayes voiced the character of Chef , an African-American, soul-singing cafeteria worker who was one of the few adults the boys consistently trusted. Hayes agreed to voice the character after being among Parker and Stone's ideal candidates, which also included Lou Rawls and Barry White . Hayes, who lived and hosted a radio show in New York during his tenure with South Park , recorded his dialogue on
13200-454: Was a musical score performed by the band Primus , with the lyrics alternately sung by the band's lead singer, Les Claypool , and the show's four central characters during the opening title sequence. Kenny's muffled lines are altered after every few seasons. His lines are usually sexually explicit in nature, such as his original lines, "I like girls with big fat titties, I like girls with deep vaginas". The original unaired opening composition
13320-413: Was available on Hulu by this point. As of July 2015, all episodes of South Park are available for streaming in Canada on the service CraveTV , which first consisted of seasons 1–18. Subsequent seasons were released the following July. In early October 2019, industry rumors suggested that the streaming rights for South Park were being offered to various services, creating an intense bidding war that
13440-420: Was briefly rebranded as MTV Two and the presentation was changed as part of MTV's wider efforts to amalgamate the five British MTV channels into a singular brand with a common identity: the new logo is similar to the other channels, with the channel's playlist represented by a South Park -esque character who plays a Flying V guitar. On 1 March 2010, MTV Two was rebranded as MTV Rocks. The channel now reflects
13560-426: Was estimated to be as high as US$ 500 million . HBO and South Park Digital Studios announced that HBO had secured a multi-year deal for the exclusive streaming rights for South Park on their HBO Max service starting June 24, 2020. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, Variety reported the deal fell between US$ 500 million and US$ 550 million . Beginning with season 25 in 2022, HBO Max posts new episodes
13680-422: Was eventually reduced to midnight to 6 pm every day. Commercials shown were mainly for albums, DVDs, films and products that target the channel's main audience. However, from September 2005, MTV2 started to play these commercials during daytime, but still runs without interruptions throughout the night from 1 am. In 2007, following a rebranding of MTV's channels available in the United Kingdom, MTV2 Europe
13800-400: Was formerly aired on VH1 from 2017 and was moved to MTV Rocks due to the former now being an entertainment channel. However, during HIV Awareness day, it used the MTV Rocks logo. This channel, along with its sister channels Club MTV and MTV OMG , was closed on 20 July 2020, with a chart based on the channel's former content moving to/airing on MTV Music . The final music video played on
13920-880: Was formerly broadcast on Global . South Park also airs in Irish on TG4 in Ireland, STV in Scotland, Comedy Central and MTV in the UK (previously on Sky One , Channel 4 , VIVA and 5Star ), B92 in Serbia , and on Game One and NRJ 12 in France . In September 2020, SBS, which aired South Park in Australia since 1997, removed South Park from its television line-up, though reruns could air on SBS Viceland. Broadcast syndication rights to South Park were acquired by Debmar-Mercury and Tribune Entertainment in 2003 and 2004 respectively. Episodes further edited for content began running in syndication on September 19, 2005, and were aired in
14040-425: Was initially chosen because its features helped animators retain the show's "homemade" look. PowerAnimator was also used for making some of the show's visual effects, which are now created using Motion , a newer graphics program created by Apple, Inc. for their Mac OS X operating system . The show's visual quality has improved in recent seasons, though several other techniques are used to intentionally preserve
14160-465: Was made up of back-to-back music videos, with shows such as Beavis and Butt-Head and Daria aired occasionally. In recent years, MTV Two has taken Gonzo on different tours of the United Kingdom. Gonzo on Tour has been a regular tour for the past two years, touring various Barfly venues and filming the results for broadcast on the channel. Bands such as The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster , Goldie Lookin' Chain , Franz Ferdinand , Queens of
14280-486: Was originally slower and had a length of 40 seconds. It was deemed too long for the opening sequence. So Parker and Stone sped it up for the show's opening, having Claypool re-record his vocals. The instrumental version of the original composition is often played during the show's closing credits. The opening song played in the first four seasons (and the end credits in all seasons) has a folk rock instrumentation with bass guitar , trumpets and rhythmic drums. Its beat
14400-694: Was the first weekly program to be rated TV-MA , and is generally intended for adult audiences. The boys and most other child characters use strong profanity, with only the most taboo words being bleeped during a typical broadcast. Parker and Stone perceive this as the manner in which real-life small boys speak when they are alone. South Park commonly makes use of carnivalesque and absurdist techniques, numerous running gags , violence , sexual content , offhand pop-cultural references, and satirical portrayal of celebrities. Early episodes tended to be shock value -oriented and featured more slapstick-style humor. While social satire had been used on
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