![]() ![]() HBO, of course, is not available for free in the majority of American homes. The popularity of Sesame Street and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood would help establish the network as a national presence. At the time, NET (the network that would evolve into PBS) was struggling to gain a foothold nationwide. When it began in 1969, Sesame Street was revolutionary for many reasons, not least of which was its commitment to teaching preschool children basic concepts of language and math.īut its dedication to being available, for free, to as many American children as possible was also notable. This deal is something of a violation of Sesame Street's founding principles Though it's rare for an HBO program to become so quickly available on another outlet (as Sesame Street reruns will be on PBS nine months after their first air date) and for HBO to purchase programming from a studio other than HBO, the monetary terms of the deal - too expensive for PBS - are almost certainly a drop in the bucket for HBO. (For instance, Fraggle Rock, another program featuring Jim Henson Muppets, originally aired in the US on HBO.) And though it's primarily known for its adult programming, the network has been active in the children's TV market for decades. HBO, however, is cash rich, thanks to its copious number of subscribers. (Most of these stations are in rural areas.) When Sesame Street, then, lost that DVD revenue, PBS could not match it in terms of its licensing fee. What money PBS does receive from the federal government is mostly spent keeping stations that cannot collect many viewer donations running. Though PBS has a reputation as having huge amounts of government funding, that perception is inaccurate. Now, due to the rise of things like YouTube (where many of the best Sesame Street segments are available, legally, for free), that revenue has been slashed. Sesame used to sell huge numbers of home video copies of its episodes and "greatest hits" packages. ![]() ![]() The problem for Sesame Street, as with so many other present programs, is that the market for DVDs has collapsed. (PBS does not collect ad revenue, but it does sign corporate sponsorship deals and accept viewership donations.) In the below graphic, SW, then, is the studio, while PBS is the network. The network has a programming budget, but it invests very little of it in producing its own programming and, instead, focuses on acquisitions. In fact, PBS owns almost none of its iconic programs, which tend to be produced by member stations, foreign broadcasters, or independent filmmakers. Instead, they're owned by SW, which has produced the series since it debuted in November 1969. Though Big Bird and the other Sesame Street characters are among the most iconic faces of PBS, the broadcaster doesn't actually own the show or its characters. The thought of the show no longer being exclusive to PBS is likely a very strange one to many, but it's a sign of the TV world that's rapidly coming into being - one in which there are more revenue streams than ever but it's harder and harder to find profitability, especially for independent production companies like SW. The New York Times has more on the deal overall. Sesame Street began airing on HBO January 16, 2016, and the deal is for the next five TV seasons. Sesame Workshop (once known as the Children's Television Workshop), the production company behind the series, could only make 18 installments per year on PBS. The terms of the deal will allow for more Sesame episodes per season. The episodes will still air on PBS - several months later. Big Bird has joined forces with Game of Thrones, under a deal that takes first-run episodes of Sesame Street to HBO.
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