Reliance-Owned JioCinema Removes Controversial John Oliver Episode
The streaming service JioCinema, owned by the Reliance group, has taken down a 2019 episode of the popular satirical news show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. The episode, which was previously available on Disney+ Hotstar, was widely reported to have been censored by Hotstar due to its critical content. JioCinema’s decision to remove the episode has raised questions about censorship in India.
The episode in question covers the 2019 general elections to the Lok Sabha, as well as the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens. Oliver also discusses allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi around the Gujarat riots, as well as Islamophobic remarks by other top BJP leaders like Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Home Minister Amit Shah. The main segment on Modi and the elections was released on YouTube, and remains available there.
Disney+ Hotstar, which was airing the show’s episodes after a 24 hour delay, abstained from airing the episode entirely. Hotstar has not commented on its decision, but it is speculated that the episode was censored due to its critical content. The streaming service is on its way to being owned by Reliance, following a merger of Disney’s India operations with the Ambani-run conglomerate, at a ₹11,500 crore price tag.
The removal of the episode has sparked outrage among some viewers, who accuse JioCinema of censorship. Others have defended the decision, arguing that the episode contained inaccurate and biased information. The incident has highlighted the issue of censorship in India, and raised questions about the extent to which streaming services are willing to compromise their editorial independence in order to appease the government.
