All the furry and feathery friends in the Sesame Street are moving to a new street, at HBO. Sesame workshop, the non-profit behind the much-loved children's show, has partnered with HBO to produce 35 new episodes, to start airing by fall for five years.
'Sesame Street is the most important preschool education program in the history of television. We are delighted to be a home for this extraordinary show...' said Richard Plepler, Chairman and CEO of HBO, and Michael Lombardo, President, HBO Programming
Sesame Street has been airing on PBS Kids for 45 years, but it can only produce 18 episodes, based on reports in the Time. With the new HBO collaboration, Sesame Workshop will also produce a spin-off Muppet series, and other new original education programs for children.
The children's show is an institution, having started in 1969, with over 6 million viewers a week. The HBO-produced episodes will also be aired on PBS months after.
Sesame Street used to earn big bucks in their home video copies, but the DVD industry has collapsed with the influx of social media where you can watch videos for free. Sesame Workshop needed funds, but PBS could not pay licensing fees. Although HBO is known for its series for the adult market, like Game of Thrones, it has also produced children shows, like Fraggle Rock.
Partnering with HBO is a welcome solution to the production problems of Sesame Street. However, not all households have HBO, which is a premier cable channel. Having the episodes available on PBS, where viewing is for free, is a good solution. Anyhow, the children watching the shows would not be so particular that they are watching reruns. The most important thing is that the favorite children's show would be able to continue their legacy of teaching young children how to read and count.
