Jio Cinema frisks Comedian John Oliver’s ‘Last week tonight’ episode over critical remarks of Modi
New Delhi: OTT platform JioCinema, owned by Viacom 18, has reportedly not aired the latest episode of 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,' titled "Indian Elections, Trump & Red Lobster." In this episode, British comedian John Oliver criticizes Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his administration on various issues, including the state of the press in India. JioCinema, a joint venture between Reliance Industries and Paramount Global, is HBO's official streaming partner.
This development comes just before the announcement of the Lok Sabha election results on Tuesday, June 4. Clips from the episode have already gone viral on social media.
The host anticipating censorship in India asked the Indian audiences to visit oppositesnakes.com and howtoeatmangoes.com in case the episode is taken down from YouTube. “I don’t know if this episode is definitely not going to end up airing in India, depending on what they do with the laws around YouTube. If you have friends and family living in India who would like to see it, just encourage them to visit these sites,” Oliver said in a clip from the show circulated on social media.
The episode was posted on YouTube on June 2 but is not yet available in India. It will be made public on June 6, as HBO has changed its policy to upload full episodes a few days after airing to boost subscriptions. Previously, episodes were uploaded the day after airing.
Despite Viacom 18's deal with Warner Bros. allowing 'Last Week Tonight' to be streamed on JioCinema in India, the latest episode has not been uploaded. The last episode available on the platform, titled "Corn," aired on May 19.
This is not the first time JioCinema has restricted streaming of the show. An episode from 2020 featuring Oliver's remarks on PM Modi, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, Gujarat riots, and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is also unavailable. Previously, Disney+ Hotstar, the former streaming partner, faced criticism from Oliver for not streaming this particular episode.
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Vijayanagara: One dead, 12 injured as trucks hits their vehicle from behind on NH 50
Vijayanagara: One man was killed and 12 others were injured after a truck hit vehicle they were traveling in on the National Highway 50 stretch on the outskirts of Koodligi in the district.
The accident victim, Madhu (27), is learned to have been an employee of Reliance Digital from Andhra Pradesh.
The vehicle was reportedly traveling from Bengaluru to Koodligi and the passengers are learned to have been seriously injured following the collision with the truck, which was found to have a Maharashtra registration.
Koodligi Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Mallesh Dodmani and Circle Inspector Prahlad Channagiri arrived at the accident spot on being informed of the accident.
The police officers and locals rescued the injured passengers and got them shifted to the Koodligi Government Hospital. Some of the passengers were reportedly taken to the Ballari Trauma Care Centre for further treatment.
A case has been registered at the Koodligi Police Station and the officers are investigating the incident.
