The answer to that question, heard by children for nearly 45 years, will be slightly different for the next 5 years. Sesame Workshop, the people behind the iconic children’s television show, struck a deal with HBO to give the pay network and its streaming services access to the show.
With the money from HBO, the number of original episodes of Sesame Street per year will double, and PBS, the longtime home of the show, will continue to get access to the show, for free, but after a 9 month exclusivity window. In addition to 5 seasons of Sesame Street, the deal will also allow Sesame Workshop to produce a Sesame Street spin-off series, as well as develop a new educational series for children. Plus, PBS will now get the show for free, freeing up funding that can now be used on other programming.
The deal also gives HBO a new entry in the kids programming game. The one-time home of Fraggle Rock, cousin to the Sesame Street franchise, will now have the granddaddy of children’s programming and will hopefully breathe some new life into the show for the next generation of children waiting to learn.