HBO Max and “Sesame Street” producer Sesame Workshop have announced a new partnership which will bring the show’s 50-year library, as well as five new seasons of the show, to the streamer.
Beginning with season 51, the historic children’s series will premiere on HBO Max, before moving over to air on its traditional home of PBS Kids. All of the new “Sesame Street”-related content will also be made available to PBS Kids after premiering on the WarnerMedia-owned streamer. HBO will continue to air “Sesame Street” through season 50.
The deal is indicative of HBO Max’s continuing push into the kids’ and family programming domain, as the streamer announced two executive appointments to its family friendly divisions earlier this week.
New “Sesame Street” content coming to HBO Max includes five new 35-episode seasons of “Sesame Street,” annual “Sesame Street” specials, kicking off with an animated version of “The Monster at the End of this Book,” a family-centric live-action take on a late-night talk show titled “The Not Too Late Show with Elmo,” a new season of “Esme & Roy,” two new animated series, one of which will be a “Sesame Street” spinoff called “Mecha Builders,” and finally a docuseries tackling difficult issues from a child’s perspective.
“Sesame Street is, and always has been, the gold standard for children’s programming, and we’re thrilled that Sesame Workshop chose HBO Max as its new partner,” said Robert Greenblatt, chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment and Direct-To-Consumer. “This brand is synonymous with quality and integrity, not to mention that nothing is more important than educating young new minds. This landmark deal perfectly illustrates the type of quality programming HBO Max will offer across every demographic.”
The streamer has announced it will also create a “Sesame Street” hub where viewers will be able access a broad collection of episodes selected from the past 50 years, as well as the “Sesame Street” spinoff series “The Furchester Hotel.”
“The scope of our partnership with Sesame Workshop is unprecedented,” said Kevin Reilly, chief content officer for HBO Max, and president, TBS, TNT, and truTV. “The beloved ‘Sesame Street’ characters and these incredible new shows will be ambassadors for our service and the cornerstone of HBO Max’s extensive kids’ offering.”
The initial partnership between HBO Max and Sesame Workshop is said to be domestic only. The “Sesame Street” producer and WarnerMedia say they will explore expanding the deal globally as the streaming platform grows.
“As we celebrate 50 years of ‘Sesame Street’ and look to the future, we are thrilled to enter into this powerful partnership with HBO Max and their growing offering of best-in-class content,” added Steve Youngwood, Sesame Workshop’s chief operating officer, and president of media and education at the company. “Producing this broad slate will help us deliver on our mission to help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. We are also excited about partnering with WarnerMedia and AT&T as we seek ways to expand Sesame Workshop’s impact around the world.”
Earlier this year, Warner Bros. set a release date for its forthcoming “Sesame Street” live-action movie. Over the course of its 50-year history, Sesame Workshop won more Daytime Emmys than any other children’s production company.
