Hollywood Breakdown
'Sesame Street' Strikes a Deal with HBO
The newest talented duo to make their way to HBO are some guys named Bert and Ernie. Maybe you've heard of them? The iconic children's show, Sesame Street, made a five year deal to offer new episodes first on HBO. Episodes will still appear on PBS, though nine months later.
By Kim Masters • • 3m ListenHBO and Sesame Street may not sounds like a natural pairing, but the network known for Game of Thrones will soon be the new home of the iconic children's show. The five year agreement means new Sesame Street episodes will appear on HBO first, and then run on PBS nine months later. The deal's a reflection of the times -- Sesame Street will be available via HBO's over-the-top streaming service, HBONow, so children and their parents will have access to the show without a cable package. Subscription-based Netflix has done well in the area of children's programming, especially as they've found that young kids are easily able to access shows on tablets and other devices. This latest partnership comes just as new numbers from SNL Kagan show that the pay TV industry lost 600,000 subscribers in the last quarter, and it's clear that everyone is trying to adjust to a TV future based on subscriptions and "skinny" bundles, rather than massive cable plans.
