HBO and Max End ‘Sesame Street’ Deal as Part of Shift Away From Kids Programming

“Sesame Street” is back on the market, TheWrap has learned. HBO and Max have opted not to renew their deal with the children’s leader, which involved new episodes of “Sesame Street” first coming to the Warner Bros. Discovery companies.

In 2016, HBO struck a deal with Sesame Street Workshop so that new episodes of the series would come to HBO first before airing on PBS. It’s that portion of the deal that’s coming to an end.

This decision is based on a strategy shift for Max, which will pivot to focus more on adult and family programming rather than children’s content. However, the library for “Sesame Street” will still be available on HBO and Max through 2027. For those who may be confused by the distinction, children’s programming is entertainment aimed specifically at children, such as “Paw Patrol” or “Bluey.” Family programming is intended to have a wider appeal, like “The Santa Clause.”

“It has been a wonderful, creative experience working with everyone at ‘Sesame Street’ on the iconic children’s series and we are thrilled to be able to keep some of the library series on Max in the U.S. As we’ve launched Max though and based on consumer usage and feedback, we’ve had to prioritize our focus on stories for adults and families, and so new episodes from ‘Sesame Street,’ at this time, are not as core to our strategy,” a representative from Max said in a statement.

“We are excited to extend our 10-year partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery, keeping ‘Sesame Street’s iconic library available on Max through 2027. We will continue to invest in our best-in-class programming and look forward to announcing our new distribution plans in the coming months, ensuring that ‘Sesame Street’ reaches as many children as possible for generations to come,” a representative for Sesame Street Workshop told TheWrap.

It’s not entirely surprising that Max would be pulling away from children’s entertainment. When Max first launched as HBO Max, it heavily invested in the children’s programming space with shows like “Adventure Time: Distant Lands,” “Tig n’ Seek” and “The Fungies” as well as continuations of series like “Infinity Train” and “Summer Camp Island.” Many of these shows were given little to no advertising and struggled to find their audiences.

In 2022, HBO Max then pulled 37 titles, 20 of which were originals. That meant these series, many of which were designed for children, were completely removed from the TV ecosystem and viewers were unable to watch modern shows in any way during the streaming age. Since then, Max never quite found its footing in the children’s space. And with Netflix strengthening its investment in the subgenre and Disney continuing to dominate the space, that faltering has happened during a particularly competitive time.

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