CBS Halts Colbert 'Only in Monroe' Takedowns After 620,621-View Upload Sparks Backlash
Updated
Updated · Variety · May 25
CBS Halts Colbert 'Only in Monroe' Takedowns After 620,621-View Upload Sparks Backlash
3 articles · Updated · Variety · May 25
CBS said it will waive further enforcement against unauthorized YouTube uploads of Stephen Colbert’s “Only in Monroe” episode while it conducts an additional review, after complaints over recent copyright notices.
The company said the takedowns were routine copyright protection, not an attempt to suppress the episode: CBS Studios financed and produced it and posted the official version on Colbert’s new YouTube channel.
One unofficial upload from “The Desk” drew 620,621 views, outpacing the official video’s roughly 392,486 views after others posted the episode before Colbert’s channel did.
The episode marked Colbert’s return to the Monroe, Michigan public-access show that also launched his “Late Show” run in 2015, bookending his 11-year tenure after CBS ended the program.
Did the Colbert copyright reversal signal a permanent shift in how media giants handle fan content on YouTube?
What lasting impact did the takedown controversy have on the small public access show Colbert championed?
How has Paramount Skydance's digital strategy evolved since the 'Only in Monroe' takedown incident?