Sesame Street is getting quite an upgrade, thanks to a generous benefactor. The longtime children’s program is partnering up with HBO in a pairing that will nearly double the number of new episodes produced.
According to the New York Times‘ Emily Steel, the Sesame Workshop and HBO will now produce 35 original episodes, as opposed to the 18 that were made each year with PBS. Most importantly, the new shows will debut exclusively on HBO and its streaming outlets (HBO Go and HBONow). After nine months of exclusivity, the new Sesame Street programs will be available on PBS, the show’s customary home for the past 45 years.
In addition, the Sesame Workshop and HBO will create two spinoff series, one featuring the Sesame Street muppets and another educational series for children.
It’s a dream come true – me and Bird joining forces at HBO! http://t.co/rYzigrgiQ5
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) August 13, 2015
Yes, the clues to this HBO / Sesame Street partnership were subtle, but they were out there. pic.twitter.com/hPYOiFRGh1
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) August 13, 2015
This @HBO @sesamestreet partnership has some interesting team-up possibilities… #Deadwood pic.twitter.com/ZMlkJYRajw
— Neil Kleid (@neilkleid) August 13, 2015
If you followed the news Thursday on Twitter, you saw plenty of jokes about what appears to be an unusual team-up between a premium cable network typically known for adult-oriented programming and a children’s television institution.
But it’s a mutually beneficial partnership, allowing HBO to make a bigger push into children’s programming and creating more of a demand for its services, especially on a streaming basis. For Sesame Street, the show gets a much bigger production budget and becomes available through on-demand services that are increasingly where consumers find their entertainment.
Naturally, there will be some backlash over something previously available for free now moving to a premium cable network. But Sesame Street will still be available on PBS. And with the exception of segments featuring celebrity guests or something occasionally pertinent to current events, how often can viewers determine whether an episode is new or not?
New episodes of Sesame Street will debut on HBO this fall, according to the announcement.
