John Oliver roasts potential new ‘business dad’

Sunday March 1st Jean Olivier targeted his possible new “business dad”. Last week, Netflix withdrew from the bidding war for Warner Bros., meaning David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance appears all but certain to take over HBO, the home of his late-night show, “Last Week Tonight.”

John Oliver Slams His New ‘Business Daddy’ Amid HBO Takeover Drama

Although Hollywood had many concerns when Netflix was about to take over the studio, Oliver seemed more perplexed by the idea of ​​Paramount becoming his new boss.

“Turns out we might have a new business dad,” he said on the March 1 episode of “Last Week Tonight,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

He added: “Yeah, not great news. In fact, if I can quote anyone who ever accidentally sat on their Roku remote: “Oh shit, I’m at Paramount now, how do I get out of this?” »

John Oliver previously criticized AT&T

Paramount can expect to hear a lot from Oliver in the coming months, as he has never been shy about poking fun at the parent company that owns HBO. When AT&T controlled the studio, he criticized them during a segment about robocalls and criticized their “terrible” service.

In 2022, Discovery and WarnerMedia teamed up to create Warner Bros. Discovery, and AT&T ceded control of HBO. At the time, Oliver reflected on the merger, saying, “Interestingly, as of Friday, AT&T officially no longer owns us, so that’s goodbye from me, Business Daddy. Let me just say this.”

He then raised two middle fingers, adding: “which is honestly two more bars than you’ve ever had.”

Netflix called the deal “more financially attractive”

In a joint statement, Netflix co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters called the deal “more financially attractive.” He went on to say that “it was still a ‘nice to have’ at the right price, not a ‘must have’ at any price.” »

“The transaction we negotiated would have created value for shareholders with a clear path to regulatory approval,” the statement continued. “However, we have always been disciplined, and at the price required to match Paramount Skydance’s latest offer, the deal is no longer financially attractive, so we decline to match Paramount Skydance’s offer.”

David Ellison focuses on ‘Reinventing the Business’

A day after John Oliver’s statement, Paramount CEO David Ellison spoke at length about the $110 billion mega-deal that will include not only streaming services like HBO Max and Paramount+, but also TV networks like CBS, TNT, CNN, MTV, Nickelodeon, HGTV and more.

“By uniting our free streaming platforms from our iconic studios with a global presence, our cable and linear networks and our world-class intellectual property, we have the opportunity to help shape the future and build a next-generation media and entertainment company. That has been our goal since day one,” Ellison said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“It’s not about consolidation, it’s about reinventing the business,” he continued. “We want to expand our reach and enhance our ability to create the world’s most compelling stories and experiences. And we are extremely excited about this transaction, which will accelerate that ambition.”

Ellison confirmed that HBO Max and Paramount+ will be consolidated into one major streaming platform once the deal closes and committed to 45-day theatrical release windows, before sending the films to premium video on demand (PVOD).

John Oliver fans want to see him head to Netflix

As John Oliver expresses his distaste for Paramount and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” ends later this year, one fan took to Reddit to suggest that Oliver and Colbert should make deals with Netflix.

“Netflix has been trying to make talk shows work for them. Resuming Oliver and Colbert would be a much better way to handle this,” one user suggested. “It seems like they’ve built some goodwill in the industry, so I don’t know why they wouldn’t.”

“If there is a world where I can see late night programming of John Mulaney, Oliver and Colbert on one platform, I would be so happy,” another fan agreed. “The Netflix Is A Joke festival is huge. I’m sure they would be interested in Colbert and Oliver when the opportunity presents itself.”