TV Ratings for ‘South Park’ Season 27 Premiere: Huge Viewership
The highly anticipated 27th season premiere of South Park drew in a massive audience for Comedy Central and Paramount+. In just three days following its July 23rd debut, the episode, which featured a hilarious portrayal of President Trump in bed with Satan, attracted 5.9 million viewers across multiple platforms, including on-air replays. This marks a 68% increase from the season 26 premiere in February 2023.
The premiere had been delayed by two weeks as creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone finalized a new deal with Paramount Global. As part of this deal, the entire South Park library moved from HBO Max to Paramount+, and new episodes are available for streaming on Paramount+ the day after they air. This new streaming option contributed to the significant viewership numbers. On Comedy Central alone, the premiere garnered 430,000 viewers during its initial airing, making up less than 10% of the total viewership over the three days.
Titled “Sermon on the ‘Mount,” the premiere episode featured Trump threatening to sue the town of South Park for $5 billion, only to settle for $3.5 million and a promise to create “pro-Trump messaging,” culminating in a live-action deepfake. This settlement was reminiscent of CBS’ 60 Minutes agreement with the president, which, according to Trump, included additional commitments from the network to air administration-aligned public service announcements.
Following the premiere, South Park will be taking a brief hiatus of one week, with a repeat of “Sermon on the ‘Mount” airing in August.
