'South Park' creators strike rich deal

New York -- "South Park" creators raised eyebrows with their deal with their New York employer involving a 50-50 ad revenue split, unusual in the television industry.

"South Park" creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker and Comedy Central, a unit of Viacom's MTV Networks, agreed to a three-year extension of the show and its creators' contracts through 2011, giving Stone and Parker increases in salaries and advances from DVDs, merchandising, syndication and international sales, The New York Times said.
It also creates SouthParkStudios.com, to be housed in the show's animation studio in Culver City, Calif., that will be a testing ground for new comedy concepts.

The agreement is worth $75 million to Parker and Stone, people familiar with the contract told the Times. But what makes it eye-popping is the network's willingness to share advertising revenue, which television networks have been loathe to do.

Doug Herzog, MTV Networks Entertainment president, said the 50-50 digital deal would set a precedent.

"If this is seen as a bold stroke, all the better, because it's going to take bold thinking to move ahead," he said.

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Copyright 2007 by United Press International.