‘Sesame Street’ announces new season is headed to Netflix
‘Sesame Street’ announces new season is headed to Netflix
Season 56 of the beloved kids educational series has found a new on-demand home.
Parents everywhere are breathing a sigh of relief on Monday. The fate of “Sesame Street” has been a bit clouded in recent months, with the series ending a longstanding relationship with Warner Bros. Discovery and a political environment that is less-than-hospitable to public broadcasting. But “Sesame Street” isn’t going anywhere; not only is the show returning for a 56th season, but it’s also got a new streaming home that many viewers will already have access to.
Key Details:
- Navigating to Netflix: Netflix will get new episodes of “Sesame Street,” as well as past seasons.
- Format change: The next season of “Sesame Street” will look a lot more like “Bluey.”
- Not leaving Max: The “Sesame Street” archives will be available on Max until 2027.
As announced on Monday, episodes from the upcoming Season 56 of “Sesame Street” will be available to stream on Netflix the same day that they premiere on PBS when the season bows later this year. The show will also be found on PBS Kids digital platforms.
“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,” PBS CEO Paula Kerger said. “We’re proud to continue our partnership in the pursuit of having a profound impact on the lives of children for years to come.”
Netflix will also get past seasons of the show, adding to a library of kids titles that already includes the beloved series “CoComelon.” Adding “Sesame Street” to the equation gives it yet another programming staple, and associates the streamer with a brand trusted by parents for more than half a century.
The show will continue to stream on Max until 2027, as well. Max held the streaming rights to new episodes of “Sesame Street” until the end of 2024, but its history with the series was somewhat checkered. In 2022, the streamer pulled hundreds of episodes of “Sesame Street” from its library, and it has recently shown a desire to shift away from kids’ programming and back to premium content for adults — as the decision to switch back to the “HBO Max” name suggests.
In addition to a new streaming home, “Sesame Street” will have a new format in 2025. Episodes will focus on a more character-driven storytelling mode, with one 11-minute storyline each episode. This is reminiscent to the approach that beloved kids animated series”Bluey” uses, and considering how much of a ratings darling that show has been in recent years, it’s little wonder that “Sesame Street” is trying to adopt a similar tactic.
“The support of Netflix, PBS, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting serve as a unique public-private partnership to enable Sesame Street to continue to help children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder,” said a statement posted to the “Sesame Street” account on X (formerly Twitter).
Netflix
Netflix is a leading subscription-based video streaming service that offers on-demand access to an extensive library of over 3,000 movies, 2,000+ TV shows, and a growing collection of acclaimed Netflix originals. Renowned for producing groundbreaking content, Netflix has become a cultural powerhouse with hit originals like “Stranger Things,” “Wednesday,” “Squid Game,” “The Crown,” “Tiger King,” “Bridgerton,” “The Witcher,” and “Black Mirror.”
