‘Sesame Street’ to Air First on HBO for Next 5 Seasons

[RandySF]

The letters of the day on “Sesame Street” are H, B and O.

Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit group behind the children’s television program, has struck a five-year deal with HBO, the premium cable network, that will bring first-run episodes of “Sesame Street” exclusively to HBO and its streaming outlets starting in the fall.

The partnership, announced Thursday, will allow the financially challenged Sesame Workshop to significantly increase its production of “Sesame Street” episodes and other new programming. The group will produce 35 new “Sesame Street” episodes a year, up from the 18 it now produces. It will also create a spinoff series based on the “Sesame Street” Muppets along with another new educational series for children.

After nine months of appearing only on HBO, the shows will be available free on PBS, home to “Sesame Street” for the last 45 years.

It is an unexpected union: the nonprofit behind a TV show created to teach children in underserved communities matched with the premium cable network that targets affluent adults with innovative programming. But the deal speaks to the digital transformation upending the television business, primarily the explosion of streaming video creating a generation of children who watch shows on demand, often on a mobile phone or tablet, instead of flipping on a TV.


http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/14/business/media/sesame-street-heading-to-hbo-in-fall.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0

[davidpdx]

1. Not the best case scenario, but at least it provides funding for Sesame Street for the foreseeable

[Volaris]

2. If it's Public Television, it should be Public money, as much as needed.

I'm biased tho. I'm so sick of watching Goldman Sachs ads every time I turn on Frontline...

'Progress is everyone's business.'...except, apparently, the Department of Justice.

Fury doesn't begin to describe it.

Go, Bernie, Go.

[davidpdx]

3. We need to get Sanders elected with a D Congress

then we can reverse all the defunding of program.

[harrose]

4. Once Again, the 1% Corporates Take From the Poor...

Say goodbye to Big Bird kids... he's going to live at HBO.

[Brickbat]

5. I find this really sad.

[Romulox]

6. I don't see this as a positive thing. This feels like a sell-out. nt

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

9. It's a survival tactic, better than going under

But from now on, the "haves" kids will see episodes months before others. The "have-not" kids will see hand-me-down episodes. It won't be pretty.

[WestCoastLib]

7. Sad for the low income kids again.

Though, from my recent experience with my oldest daughter (my youngest isn't even yet sesame street age), I don't think there is much difference to them ( in terms of content and what they can learn) from new episodes and ones that are 5 or 10 years old. As long as PBS gets to show reruns, this shouldn't be that big of a deal.

Heck, they still air segments occasionally that I watched when I was a kid in the 70's.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

8. So families that can't afford premium cable have to wait longer for new episodes?

I have to say, I find this very disappointing for what is otherwise a terrific asset to television. It doesn't seem right.

[Warren DeMontague]

10. Does this mean we'll finally see the scene where Oscar cuts Elmo's **** off?

[cbdo2007]

11. Sesame Street isn't struggling for money, they are struggling for better management.

SS revenues are approx $150 Million per year, and they own the rights to the show and the characters and the merchandising, which is a veretable gold mine. It is definitely a sell out move which will result in LESS exposure for sesame street than more. I dont even have cable right now....but I have Sesame Street.