‘Seasame Street’ needs new home after HBO, Max opt not to renew deal

Sesame Street is searching for a new home.

The long-running children’s TV show is now on the market after Warner Bros. Discovery decided not to renew its Sesame Street deal with HBO and Max. Original episodes of the program will now need a new home.

Max will be working with the show’s producer, Sesame Workshop, to license episodes from its library through 2027. It is not yet clear if the library deal would prohibit potential new partners from also acquiring the old episodes of the program.

The streamer’s decision to not continue the deal comes from a strategy change to focus on more adult and family programming, with less of an emphasis on children’s programming.

“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 Max spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter, which broke the story. “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.”

Sesame Street first aired in 1969, with episodes running on PBS since 1970. The show moved to HBO in 2016, with episodes airing on PBS months after they drop on HBO to ensure maximum reach and accessibility. A deal was struck in 2019 that moved Sesame Street to HBO Max, which was then renamed to Max. 

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