Sesame Street Secures New Streaming Deal with Netflix
In a significant development for children’s entertainment, Netflix has announced a new streaming deal with Sesame Street, ensuring the popular educational programme will continue to reach a broad audience. The agreement, announced on Monday, will see new episodes of Sesame Street air on Netflix, PBS, and the PBS Kids app on the same day, starting later this year.
According to a report by The Guardian, the deal comes after Warner Bros Discovery decided not to renew its agreement for new episodes to air on HBO and Max. The Sesame Street show, which has been on the air for over 50 years, has been a staple of children’s entertainment and education.
The new partnership, described as a "unique public-private partnership" by the Guardian, will enable Sesame Workshop to bring its research-based curriculum to young children around the world, leveraging Netflix’s global reach. At the same time, children in communities across the US will continue to have free access to the programme on public television.
Sesame Workshop released a statement, which was quoted in The Guardian, saying: "This unique public-private partnership will enable us to bring our research-based curriculum to young children around the world with Netflix’s global reach, while ensuring children in communities across the US continue to have free access on public television to the Sesame Street they love."
The new season of Sesame Street, Season 56, will feature longer segments, focusing on character development, emotional wellbeing, and exploration of the Sesame Street neighbourhood. According to Sal Perez, the show’s executive producer and a Sesame Workshop vice-president, episodes will revolve around one 11-minute story. As quoted in The Guardian, Perez said: "The more kids want to hang out with our characters on Sesame Street, the more they’re going to take in those lessons."
Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS, expressed her enthusiasm for the continued partnership, stating: "I strongly believe that our educational programming for children is one of the most important aspects of our service to the American people, and Sesame Street has been an integral part of that critical work for more than half a century." As reported by The Guardian, Kerger added that PBS is "proud to continue our partnership in the pursuit of having a profound impact on the lives of children for years to come."
Sesame Street has achieved immense success and recognition, having been shown in over 150 countries and winning more than 200 Emmys, as well as Grammy and Peabody awards. The programme’s fan-favourite characters, including Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird, and the Cookie Monster, will now be available alongside other popular children’s content on Netflix, which reports that Kids and Family programming accounts for 15% of its total viewing.
The new deal ensures Sesame Street will continue to reach a broad audience, both domestically and internationally, providing high-quality educational content for children. As reported by The Guardian, the programme’s partnership with Netflix and PBS will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on the lives of children for years to come.
