"[1] In August 2017, Vice News Tonight received attention after its coverage of the Unite the Right rally, entitled Charlottesville: Race and Terror, went viral after HBO's decision to put the entirety of the episode for free for all to view on YouTube.

"[13] A typical episode uses a mix of voiceovers, graphics and video packages to dive into national and global news, technology, the environment, economics, and pop culture.

The show has also designed with touch-screen capabilities, so viewers watching on HBO's digital platforms could pull up related documents, graphs and charts within episodes.

[17] In a review of the first episode, Mike Hale of The New York Times said the show was "new, but no game changer", saying "As hackneyed, shallow and formulaic as network newscasts can be, they still offer something in terms of immediacy and comprehensiveness that Vice News Tonight, as it is currently constituted, can’t pretend to compete with.

"[18] Maureen Ryan of Variety said that "if nothing else, it’s good to know that two organizations with deep pockets are coming together in a major effort to help keep citizens — and especially younger Americans — informed...

"[19] Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter said that "In its best moments, Vice News Tonight felt like a string of little amuse-bouches to whet appetites for full meals available online.

[20] In a more critical review, Brian Lowry of CNNMoney said "While Vice has promised a sort-of reinvention of the staid nightly news format, what it delivered merely played like Short Attention Span Theater...

Yet while the mix will surely evolve, Vice News Tonight's template offers a difference, yes, but at least initially, one without much distinction.