Why 'Last Week Tonight' YouTube premiere is getting delayed
HBO is putting an end to sharing next-day clips from the hit comedy talk show Last Week Tonight With John Oliver on YouTube. Starting with Season 11 which premiered on Sunday, the show, owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery network, will no longer upload its main features and other segments to the show's YouTube channel the day after it airs. This move is designed to encourage viewers to subscribe to HBO Max, which offers an ad-supported plan for $9.99/month.
Why does this story matter?
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver is a late-night American television talk show and a news satire program. The first season of the show went on air in April 2014, and since then has become one of the most-watched shows. The show takes a satirical view of news, current, and political events and is said to be similar to Comedy Central's The Daily Show.
John Oliver confirmed the new changes on Twitter
John Oliver, the show's host, informed fans about the change in a tweet, stating, "I know I usually share a link to our main story here on Mondays, but HBO has decided they're going to wait until Thursday to post them to YouTube from now on." Oliver expressed his hope that HBO would reconsider this decision, but in the meantime, viewers can catch the show's Supreme Court segment on HBO, HBO Max, and on YouTube in a few days.
'Hopeful fans would watch it on Max': HBO
An HBO representative confirmed that Last Week Tonight With John Oliver clips will not be available on YouTube until four days after their HBO and Max premieres. The spokesperson explained: "When Last Week Tonight With John Oliver premiered on HBO, the convenience of watching on Max did not exist so YouTube allowed flexible viewing for the main story as well as promotional exposure. We're now delaying that availability and hope those fans choose to watch the entire show on Max."
The show has been renewed till 2026
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver airs on HBO on Sundays. In December, HBO announced that it had renewed its Emmy-winning show for three more seasons, extending its run through 2026. Upon the renewal announcement, Oliver said: "We're very happy to get to keep making this show with our fantastic staff. We will continue trying to stretch the term 'entertainment' to the breaking point."
