John Oliver mocked WarnerMedia's upcoming Netflix competitor, HBO Max, on his HBO show
- John Oliver mocked WarnerMedia's upcoming streaming service, HBO Max, on his HBO show "Last Week Tonight" on Sunday.
- Oliver was criticizing the NBA's recent apology to China when he transitioned into a mock promotion of the service.
- Oliver said "it's not HBO, it's just TV."
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John Oliver took a playful jab at WarnerMedia's upcoming streaming service, HBO Max, on his HBO show "Last Week Tonight" on Sunday.
Oliver criticized the NBA's apology to China after Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted (and then deleted) in support of Hong Kong protesters, pointing out how much business the NBA does in the country.
"There's nothing more cringe-worthy than watching someone forced to engage in promotional bulls--- to appease the whims of their parent company," Oliver said.
He then transitioned into a mock promotion of HBO Max. WarnerMedia, HBO's parent company, will launch the streaming service next year.
"Have you heard about HBO Max?," Oliver said. "Looking to add another app and monthly charge to watch things? HBO Max has you covered. It's going to have all your favorites: reruns of 'The Big Bang Theory,' reruns of 'Friends,' reruns of 'The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.' You can pay for all of those through HBO Max. HBO Max - it's not HBO, it's just TV."
WarnerMedia paid $425 million for five years for "Friends" and "billions of dollars" for the streaming and syndication rights to "The Big Bang Theory," according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Oliver's comments come after WarnerMedia has been hit with heavy turnover since the company formed in the aftermath of AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner last year. The top executives who have left the company include former HBO CEO Richard Plepler, who resigned in February. AT&T was quick to make its intentions for HBO known and wants to ramp up original content from the premium cable network to compete with Netflix, a move that is in contrast with HBO's historical quality-over-quantity strategy.