Media coverage of President Donald Trump can be good for viewership figures. It turns out that making fun of him can also increase viewership as "South Park" just found out.
What Happened: Coming off a new five-year $1.5 billion contract renewal with Paramount Global (NASDAQ:PARA) (NASDAQ:PARAA) for new episodes and streaming rights, "South Park" co-creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker poked fun at the President.
Season 27’s premiere episode, which was delayed due to contract negotiations, had Trump in bed with Satan, Jesus coming to South Park to warn the town that Trump was suing them all and several jokes about the size of the president’s anatomy.
The premiere episode was watched by 996,000 people on Comedy Central, compared to 866,000 for last year's season premiere, reported Deadline.
According to Paramount, the episode had its biggest season premiere share on Comedy Central since 1999 with a 9.2 Nielsen rating, compared to 5.48 for last season's premiere episode. The show's market share was up 68% from last year. The episode was also the number one series on cable during its premiere night on Wednesday.
As part of the new deal, Paramount gained the streaming rights to old and new episodes on its Paramount+ platform. That deal may already be showing early signs of a strong return, with the premiere episode attracting 5.9 million total viewers across Comedy Central and streaming platforms in its first three days, reported The Hollywood Reporter.
Why It's Important: The animated comedy has never been shy about making fun of celebrities and politicians. This could be the start of poking fun at Trump, despite the White House recently signing off on Paramount's merger with Skydance.
Following the premiere of “South Park,” the White House predictably responded.
“This show hasn’t been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers told Variety.
Rogers said “the Left” has been targeting the offensive content in South Park for years, but is now praising it.
“Just like the creators of ‘South Park,’ the Left has no authentic or original content, which is why their popularity continues to hit record lows,” he said.
Rogers’ comments may have been early, with "South Park" seeing a big boost in viewership thanks to its "desperate attempt for attention" by making fun of Trump.
A second episode of the new season of "South Park' will air on Aug. 6. A replay of the Trump premiere episode aired again on Wed. July 30, likely boosting overall viewership even further.
PARA Price Action: Paramount stock is down 10.5% to $11.91 on Thursday, compared to a 52-week trading range of $9.95 to $13.59.
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