Netflix has secured a multi-year deal with The Sesame Workshop to stream the program moving it from Max to the top streaming service in the industry. But the part of the story that seems to be buried is that the episodes, which will be released in three batches per year will also appear on PBS Kids as well as soon as they are available.
“I strongly believe that our educational programming for children is one of the most important aspects of our service to the American people, and Sesame Street has been an integral part of that critical work for more than half a century,” added Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS. “We’re proud to continue our partnership in the pursuit of having a profound impact on the lives of children for years to come.”
The arrangement is far more generous than the previous arrangement that it signed with HBO Max, which allowed HBO Max first dibs on the programming that appeared on PBS (its traditional home) later.
The placement on HBO Max (Now known as Max but soon to be HBO Max again!) was a very strange fit from the start. It was part of a plan to make HBO Max more of an overall something-for-everybody service (like Netflix) instead of a gritty premium offering like it was under the HBO Now branding. It never fit in, and that approach has been abandoned.
On Netflix, it will be much more likely to find its audience and become a staple of the service for both kids and adults who appreciate the humor that has always been inherent. Netflix has kids profiles and an algorithm that will be able to logically recommend the program to audiences that will appreciate it because it will know that they want programming like what Sesame Street has to offer. Emagine “Oh you liked West World. We recommend Elmo Goes West”. In what universe does that make sense?
It can’t be overstated, though, how important it is that the show will be back on PBS kids with full access to all new episodes as soon as they are available on Netflix. It will be great for those who have cut ties with paid streaming platforms but still want to find good educational material for their kids without relying on going down the YouTube Rabbit hole, which is packed full of both great kids programming and the craziest, weirdest made-up stuff you could think of.
