Following months of uncertainty, Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster and the other “Sesame Street” characters have found a new home on Netflix.
Through a unique private-public partnership, “Sesame Street” will be available on both Netflix and PBS beginning later this year — both platforms signed separate distribution deals, per an announcement from the mega streamer made Monday.
Netflix called the children’s series “a beloved cornerstone of children’s media, enchanting young minds and nurturing a love of learning,” per a press release.
New episodes of “Sesame Street” will be available to Netflix’s 300 million subscribers as well as 90 hours of previous episodes. All new episodes will be released on PBS stations the same day.
The upcoming 56th Season of the series will “feature fresh format changes and the return of fan-favorite segments like Elmo’s World and Cookie Monster’s Foodie Truck,” Netflix said.
“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,” Paula Kerger, President and CEO, PBS, said in a statement.
She continued, “We’re proud to continue our partnership in the pursuit of having a profound impact on the lives of children for years to come.”
Last December, HBO Max announced plans to sever its relationship with “Sesame Street” as part of a platform-wide shift away from children’s programming, an HBO Max spokesperson told The New York Times.
Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit which produces “Sesame Street,” has been drowning under financial woes for months. In March, Sesame Workshop rolled out plans to “downsize significantly” and laid off over 200 of its employees, as reported by NPR.
“Amid the changing media and funding landscape, we have made the difficult decision to reduce the size of our organization,” a Sesame Workshop spokesperson wrote in an email to NPR at the time.
The deal between Sesame Workshop and Netflix will likely provide the financial stability “Sesame Street” needs to endure. It has not been revealed how much Netflix paid to distribute the show, but HBO Max paid Sesame Workshop between $30 and $35 million per year for new episodes, as reported by The New York Times.
“This unique public-private partnership ensures children in communities across the U.S. continue to have free access on PBS KIDS to the ‘Sesame Street’ they love,” Sherrie Westin, CEO, Sesame Workshop said in a statement. “This combined support advances our mission and ensures we can help all children—everywhere—grow smarter, stronger, and kinder."