INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Comedian John Oliver is the host of HBO's weekly show 'Last Week Tonight'
(File)Chinese authorities appear to have blocked U.S
film and television production company HBO's website after comedy show "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" aired a segment criticizing
President Xi Jinping for censorship.HBO.com, which offers programming information but no shows, was unavailable to internet users in China,
according to Greatfire.org, a watchdog group
Bloomberg staff were also unable to access the company's website as of Tuesday morning
The watchdog Cyberspace Administration of China and the State Council Information Office didn't immediately respond to faxes requesting
comments.HBO, a unit of ATT Inc., has been selling some content in China's fast-growing $14.5 billion online streaming market under tight
HBO licenses shows in China such as TV dramas "Game of Thrones" and "Band of Brothers" through Tencent Holdings Ltd.'s streaming service,
which had not been affected as of Tuesday morning.U.S.-based television and movie production companies have been seeking more access to
China's fast-growing entertainment market, where demand for premium content is surging
Online streaming revenue has been growing about 50 percent annually on average over the past five years, according to consulting group
Box office revenue in China is projected to overtake North America's as the world's largest by 2020."If HBO doesn't address the issue
proactively and in time, we cannot rule out the possibility that it may affect any future China plans the company has," said Liao Xuhua, an
analyst at Beijing-based consulting group Analysys.On a recent "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" episode, the comedian criticized Xi for
amassing political power and censoring online discussion, including banning references to Winnie the Pooh, which has been used to mock the
Chinese president based on a perceived resemblance to the cartoon character.Content licensed from U.S.-based producers has been abruptly
removed in the past from streaming services, without explanation from the government.Last year, Netflix Inc.'s bawdy sit-com "Bojack
Horseman" was pulled off China's iQiyi streaming platform days after the series debuted in the country via a content licensing deal
The animated show is still unavailable on iQiyi, while the government has not made any statements about the show's disappearance.In China,
HBO's channel is not available to the public via cable or satellite, other than at designated locations such as international hotel chains
and embassy residences.China's Twitter-like Weibo service has also been blocking users from sending posts with "John Oliver" in them
Searches of Oliver's name and "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" in both Weibo and Baidu, the popular search engine, are still working,
but the results appeared to filter out mentions of the recent segment.A spokesman for HBO declined to comment.(Except for the headline, this
story has not been edited by TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
