The Desk appreciates the support of readers who purchase products or services through links on our website. Learn more...

Hotstar, owned by Disney, blocks John Oliver segment critical of India’s leader

Photo of author
By:
»

mkeys@thedesk.net

Share:

A Disney-owned streaming service operating in India has blocked a recent “Last Week Tonight” segment focused on the country’s prime minister, Narendra Modi.

Hours before President Donald Trump was set to meet with Modi, HBO’s Last Week Tonight aired a 20-minute monologue highlighting protests within the country against Modi’s controversial citizenship measure and other unfavorable policy decisions.

Hotstar, the official streaming syndicate of HBO content in India, typically releases episodes of the show the following Tuesday after they air in the United States and United Kingdom. But the Disney-owned streaming service didn’t release this week’s episode as schedule, leading many to speculate that the segment was voluntarily withheld.

A spokesperson with India’s Information and Broadcasting Ministry said regulators were not involved in Disney’s decision to block the segment. A request sent to the Walt Disney Company for comment was not returned as of Tuesday afternoon. The segment is still available to view in India via HBO’s official YouTube channel.

Media censorship in India is not unusual when it comes to television programs that cast the country’s government in an unfavorable light: In 2015, a government regulator ordered a BBC-produced documentary “India’s Daughter” from airing within the country. The BBC and other broadcasters complied with the request, and copies of the film were swiftly removed from YouTube in response to the order. The documentary, which focused on the gang rape of a young woman and featured a prison interview with one of the convicted rapists, aired as scheduled in the United Kingdom and other countries.

HBO is owned by WarnerMedia, a subsidiary of AT&T.

Never miss a story

Get free breaking news alerts and twice-weekly digests delivered to your inbox.

We do not share your e-mail address with third parties; you can unsubscribe at any time.

Photo of author

About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys is the award-winning founder and editor of TheDesk.net, an authoritative voice on broadcast and streaming TV, media and tech. With over ten years of experience, he's a recognized expert in broadcast, streaming, and digital media, with work featured in publications such as StreamTV Insider and Digital Content Next, and past roles at Thomson Reuters and Disney-ABC Television Group.
TheDesk.net is free to read — please help keep it that way.

We rely on advertising revenue to support our original journalism and analysis.
Please disable your ad-blocking technology to continue enjoying our content.

Learn how to disable your ad blocker on: Chrome | Firefox | Safari | Microsoft Edge | Opera | AdBlock plugin

Alternatively, add us as a preferred source on Google to unlock access to this website.

If you think this is an error, please contact us.