Sesame Street in limbo after Warner Bros. fails to renew contract

A hot new listing has just hit the real estate market. That’s right: Sesame Street is for sale.

The popular children’s program is being auctioned off after Warner Bros. Discovery decided not to renew its contract with the show.

Max, HBO’s streaming service, will continue to stream older episodes of the series through 2027, but the current season will be the last to premiere on the platform.

“We will continue to invest in our best-in-class program and look forward to announcing our new distribution plans in the coming months to ensure this.” Sesame Street reaches as many children as possible for generations to come,” Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind the show, said in a statement.

After decades of airing on PBS, the company struck a deal with HBO in 2015 to premiere new episodes while continuing to air older reruns on PBS. The show was later migrated to Max, HBO’s streaming service. The expiration of this contract, which was amended in 2019, raises questions about the future of the franchise.

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The decision not to renew the series is partly due to Warner Bros. Discovery’s move away from children’s content. “Due to consumer usage and feedback, we have needed to shift our focus to adult and family stories, and therefore new episodes of ‘Sesame Street’ are not as central to our strategy at this time,” a Max spokesperson said in a statement.

“Sesame,” which premiered on PBS in 1969, features a lovable if flawed cast of creatures living in an urban neighborhood. The Formula: A mix of educational content, music and celebrity cameos has made it a gold standard for children’s television.

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Using subliminal messages, “Sesame Street” teaches lessons of inclusion, gradually teaching young viewers the reality of the world they will inherit.

“We still teach numbers and letters, but our main focus is on the child’s emotional and social development,” Vogel adds. “Audiences see themselves in these characters and ‘Sesame Street’ is able to address these really important issues,” Matt Vogel, who plays both Big Bird and Count von Count, previously told USA TODAY.

Reverend Jesse Jackson used the fictional block as a pulpit, Cynthia Erivo dueted with Kermit as part of the “Wicked” press tour, and Michelle Obama was a frequent visitor to the neighborhood, promoting her anti-obesity initiative “Let’s Move.”

As the series enters its 55th season with some new and many old characters, Sesame Workshop remains committed to preserving the cultural treasure of the Muppets.

“We will continue to invest in our world-class programming and look forward to announcing our new distribution plans in the coming months to ensure ‘Sesame Street’ reaches as many children as possible across generations,” the nonprofit said in a statement with Variety.

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Sesame Street in limbo after Warner Bros. fails to renew contract

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