Fox Television said Tuesday it might cancel The Simpsons if a pay dispute with voices behind the characters of the hit American cartoon series cannot be resolved.

“Twenty-three seasons in, The Simpsons is as creatively vibrant as ever and beloved by millions around the world,” said Fox, a unit of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.

“We believe this brilliant series can and should continue, but we cannot produce future seasons under its current financial model,” it added in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter trade journal.

“We are hopeful that we can reach an agreement with the voice cast that allows The Simpsons to go on entertaining audiences with original episodes for many years to come.”

The Daily Beast news website said Fox wants the voices behind Bart, Homer, Marge, Lisa, Krusty the Clown and other Simpsons characters to agree to a 45 per cent salary reduction.

Cast members – including Dan Castellaneta, who voices Homer Simpson, and Nancy Cartwright, who voices Bart – have offered to accept a 30 percent pay cut plus a share of syndication and merchandising income.

The six principal voice cast members on The Simpsons – the longest-running animated television show in history – now earn about $8 million a year each for about 22 weeks of work, according to The Daily Beast.