‘Sesame Street’ Up For Grabs: HBO And Max Decline To Renew Deal For New Episodes

It is speculated that 'Sesame Street' could be picked up by another streaming service.

Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of HBO’s streaming service Max, has opted not to renew its “Sesame Street” output deal, originally established in 2019 to bring the iconic show to Max.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Max will continue its partnership with Sesame Workshop, the producer of “Sesame Street.” However, after season 55 airs on the platform, Max is shifting its focus to adult and family programming, moving away from children’s content.

“It has been a wonderful, creative experience working with everyone at ‘Sesame Street’ on the iconic children’s series and we are thrilled to be able to keep some of the library series on Max in the U.S.,” a spokesperson for Max told The Hollywood Reporter. “As we’ve launched Max though and based on consumer usage and feedback, we’ve had to prioritize our focus on stories for adults and families, and so new episodes from ‘Sesame Street,’ at this time, are not as core to our strategy.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for “Sesame Street” said they look forward to continuing the agreement with Max.

“We are excited to extend our 10-year partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery, keeping Sesame Street’s iconic library available on Max through 2027. We will continue to invest in our best-in-class programming and look forward to announcing our new distribution plans in the coming months, ensuring that Sesame Street reaches as many children as possible for generations to come.”

Initially, the move to take “Sesame Street” from PBS, where it had been since 1970, was met with public doubt, but the deal allowed the program to increase its reach and visibility. New episodes do still air on PBS, albeit several months after they stream on Max.

I don’t know how kids will function or develop without Sesame Street. This is a cornerstone of childhood development at stake.

Preschoolers are being overstimulated and undervalued when they’re left with brainless drivel like Cocomelon instead of this. https://t.co/qMWWka8JNt
— 🎞️ JeffMovieMan 🎞️ #ElioHype (@JeffMovieMan) December 13, 2024

On this day in Sesame Street history, Sesame Street was on the wrong end of another soulless decision by Zaslav and WB. Hopefully Sesame Workshop can find a new studio that cares more about the IP and the children it was created to educate and inspire. https://t.co/LYKd9J5vnC
— Sesame History 📺💚 (@SesameHistory) December 13, 2024

It is speculated that “Sesame Street,” which was initially created as a resource to get children ready for preschool education, could be picked up by another streaming service, such as Disney+ or Netflix, The Hollywood Reporter reports.

However, it is also unknown whether or not the existing licensing agreement would allow a new partner to access the 50 years of content in Sesame Street’s library.

According to the Smithsonian Magazine, “Sesame Street” is an amalgamation of several New York City areas, most prominent among them Harlem, The Bronx, and the Upper West Side.

In addition to these contextual roots, “Sesame Street” has often featured notable Black celebrities and figures like Jackie Robinson, Shirley Chisholm, and Nina Simone to broach topics that are reflective of larger issues in society, like the struggle for Civil Rights.

In its initial pilot of the show, much of the principal talent was Black and since that time, it has made increased representation of various marginalized groups a hallmark of its brand.

This, the Smithsonian noted, “While the main goal of ‘Sesame Street,’ as it was for the Head Start program, was to level the early-education playing field for disadvantaged, inner-city children, the show has endured because it has been wildly successful at educating preschoolers of all backgrounds.”

It continued, “For its impact on education and television, the word educators and cultural critics most commonly use to describe ‘Sesame Street’ is revolutionary.”