HBO Website Is Down in China After John Oliver Skewers Xi
- Network’s homepage is unavailable to Chinese internet users
- HBO content licensed to Tencent platform hasn’t been affected
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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.