HBO Max has announced that they’re complying with a request by Dave Chappelle to remove Chappelle’s Show from their library. Chief Content Officer for HBO Casey Bloys made the announcement during the first day of Variety’s Virtual FYCFest, saying in his keynote conversation that he’d spoken with Chappelle::
“I won’t get into it, but it’s very clear that it’s a very unique and specific and emotional issue he’s got. So at the end of the year, December 31st, we’re going to honor his request and take the show down.”
This comes on the heels of Chappelle also convincing Netflix to stop streaming the iconic sketch comedy show. Aired between 2003 and 2006 on Comedy Central, Chappelle’s Show consists of a mere 28 episodes but is considered a straight-up masterclass in comedy, with Chappelle’s impressions of Lil Jon and Rick James receiving particular adulation.
Chappelle abruptly left the show in 2006, saying he felt burnt out and that he was losing creative control of the show. Since then its stature has risen, with TV Guide including it on their list of the best 100 shows ever and Entertainment Weekly placing it at no. 26 in their 2016 “New TV Classics” feature.
The comedian explained why he was unhappy with the show being streamed during his “Unforgiven” set released on Instagram late last month, saying:
“They (ViacomCBS) didn’t have to pay me because I signed the contract. But is that right? I found out that these people were streaming my work and they never had to ask me or they never have to tell me. Perfectly legal ‘cause I signed the contract. But is that right? I didn’t think so either.”
My thinking is that as Chappelle is still hugely popular, streaming networks want to stay on his good side. His 2019 Netflix special Sticks & Stones was a massive hit, picking up Chappelle two PrimeTime Emmy Awards. More recently he released the acclaimed 8:46, a 27-minute set about police violence against African-Americans released on Netflix’s YouTube channel and hosted the first Saturday Night Live after Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump in the 2020 Presidential Election.
Still, I’d bet that the continued popularity of Chappelle’s Show will mean that a new royalties agreement will be negotiated soon and the show will return to at least one major streaming platform.
from We Got This Covered https://ift.tt/2J0q66I
0 comments: