Last Week Tonight With John Oliver

‘Last Week Tonight‘ Host John Oliver Reveals Strategy Behind Successful Team Rebrand, Addresses HBO’s YouTube policy Shift and Emmy Reliance

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, John Oliver, host of HBO’s Last Week Tonight with john Oliver, detailed the origins of the show’s unexpectedly popular offer to rebrand a minor league sports team. The initiative, which ultimately led to the rebranding of the Idaho Falls Chukars baseball team as the Idaho Falls Potato Spuds, began as a potential outlet for lighter content amidst the show’s typically heavy investigative reporting. Oliver explained the offer was initially presented with low expectations.”We thought someone might take our offer, but we weren’t sure,” he stated. The team’s keen response prompted a full-scale rebranding effort, providing a welcome “feel-good story” during a period of widespread negativity.

the Potato Spuds rebranding, launched on April 27, 2024, involved a complete overhaul of the team’s branding, including a new logo, uniforms, and stadium aesthetics. The project, costing approximately $300,000, was fully funded by Last Week Tonight and included a commitment to ongoing support for the team. Oliver emphasized the importance of selecting a team that could both benefit from and handle the attention.

The interview also addressed a change in HBO’s distribution strategy for last Week Tonight segments. Earlier in 2024, HBO reversed a previous decision to limit the availability of full segments on YouTube, allowing them to be released the day after airing. Oliver revealed the decision was initially a test to gauge the impact on television ratings. “I think they wanted to see if moving it back on YouTube had an effect on our ratings. I didn’t think it would, which is why I was against moving it in the frist place,” he said.HBO ultimately determined the shift had a negligible negative impact, reinstating the YouTube release schedule.

Despite the show’s success and critical acclaim – having won seven Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Variety Talk series – oliver acknowledged the precarious nature of television production.He jokingly referred to the Emmys as the show’s “golden armor” against cancellation, but clarified that the sentiment wasn’t entirely a joke. “Its not entirely a joke, that’s for sure. I think it is objectively very, very helpful to have won Emmys with the show,” he stated. He expressed gratitude for HBO’s continued support and a desire to maintain the show’s independence, emphasizing the importance of continued Emmy recognition. Last Week Tonight currently airs on sundays at 11 PM ET on HBO and streams on Max.

This story appeared in the Aug. 6 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.