Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on YouTube gets a major change from HBO
By Matt Moore
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver owes a large portion of its popularity to YouTube. But a new policy from HBO will drastically change how fans find the show online.
Typically, Last Week Tonight's main story gets added to the late-night TV show's YouTube channel on Mondays. The channel currently boasts 430 videos, 9 million subscribers, and over 3 billion total views.
But a new policy from HBO will delay the release of Last Week Tonight on YouTube. Starting with the February 18 episode, the main story segment won't go on the video platform until Thursday.
Instead, the media company wants to encourage fans to watch Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on Max. A statement given to Deadline further explained HBO's rationale:
“When Last Week Tonight 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 are now delaying that availability and hope those fans choose to watch the entire show on Max.”
For his part, John Oliver expressed some disappointment in HBO's decision. The comedian has never shied away from biting the hand that feeds. While he didn't go overboard in calling out HBO, Oliver did express some frustration.
"HBO has decided they’re going to wait until Thursday to post them to YouTube from now on,” Oliver posted to Twitter. “I hope they change their mind, but until then, you can see our piece about the Supreme Court on HBO, on MAX, and on YouTube in a few days.”
Oliver's main story on February 18 involved a closer look at the U.S. Supreme Court. The segment featured Oliver offering Justice Clarence Thomas $1 million per year to resign from his position. Oliver also sweetened the deal by throwing in a $2.4 million RV, giving a nod to Thomas' controversial past with conservative donors.