Jon Stewart Signs New 4-Year Deal With HBO

Announcing what could be a string of projects from the former host of The Daily Show, HBO says it has reached an exclusive four-year deal with Jon Stewart. In the first phase of the deal, Stewart will produce "short-form digital content," HBO says.

"Appearing on television 22 minutes a night clearly broke me," Stewart says in a news release about the deal. "I'm pretty sure I can produce a few minutes of content every now and again."

From the cable company's announcement:

"In his first project for HBO under the new deal, Stewart will view current events through his unique prism. Working with the pioneering cloud graphics company OTOY Inc., he is developing new technology that will allow him to produce timely short-form digital content, which will be refreshed on HBO NOW multiple times throughout the day. Additional projects will be announced as they are confirmed."

In moving to HBO, Stewart is following in the footsteps of John Oliver, a former correspondent for The Daily Show who now has his own weekly show at the cable network.

When Stewart announced his plans to leave The Daily Show back in February, he hinted that he had ideas for other projects. But he only gave details about one change to his routine.

"I'm gonna have dinner — on a school night! — with my family, who I have heard from multiple sources are lovely people," he said.

Since leaving the Comedy Central show, Stewart and his wife, Tracey Stewart, bought a farm in New Jersey, where they look after a range of rescued animals, as Tracey Stewart tells NPR's Terry Gross on Fresh Air.