It looked a little uncertain for Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Big Bird and their friends when Max announced late last year that it would no longer distribute new episodes of Sesame Street. But like every scary story, this one appears to have a happy ending.
Beginning later this year, Sesame Street will now stream on Netflix.
In a press release, Netflix called Sesame Street a “beloved cornerstone of children’s media” and said the show’s 56th season would have “fresh format changes and the return of fan-favorite segments like Elmo’s World and Cookie Monster’s Foodie Truck.” The streamer will also run 90 hours of previous episodes from the iconic series’ library.
Another big change: Under the deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, new episodes would first run on Max and then on PBS months later. Now PBS stations and PBS KIDS will air new episodes on the “same day-and-date” that they’re streamed on Netflix, “bringing critical early learning to children throughout the country for free,” according to the statement.
In its own announcement, PBS KIDS’ senior vice president and general manager Sara DeWitt said, “Public media is essential, and we know from years of research that providing new, high-quality content to children across the country for free helps prepare them for success in school and life.”
In early March, Sesame Workshop announced that it would lay off about 20% of its staff. “Amid the changing media and funding landscape, we have made the difficult decision to reduce the size of our organization,” the company said in a statement. “These changes are necessary to ensure that the Workshop is poised to continue to deliver on its mission for years to come.”
In a world where almost everyone needs a side hustle, Netflix says Cookie Monster will open his very own Cookie Cart on Sesame Street in addition to working the Foodie Truck with his pal Gonger.
