'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver' no longer hitting YouTube the day after airing

HBO is delaying the upload of clips of "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" to YouTube in hopes of encouraging viewers to sign up for subscriptions to its streaming platform.

In a post Monday, Oliver explained that the streaming giant would hold off until Thursdays before posting the clip. “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” airs Sundays.

"I know I usually share a link to our main story here on Mondays, but HBO has decided they’re going to wait until Thursday to post them to YouTube from now on," Oliver wrote. "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."

Typically, the show's main segment, along with other clips from the show, which premiered its 11th season Sunday, are uploaded to YouTube.

Many popular TV shows upload clips to the internet and YouTube in particular after airing, a practice that stretches back more than a decade. The practice offered something of a tradeoff for TV companies — more exposure and some advertising revenue offset by a reduced need for people to watch shows when they are broadcast.

In a statement, a spokesperson for HBO said that when “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” first aired, viewers didn't have the "convenience of watching on Max" and said "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,” the spokesperson said.

The "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver" YouTube channel has more than 9 million subscribers, and videos of the show's main segment, which cover human rights, politics and social justice issues, among other topics, typically earn millions of views per upload.

"Last Week Tonight With John Oliver" has snagged a number of Emmys and, as of December, has been renewed through 2026.