Today's Edition
Washington (AFP)
If you were wondering how to get to "Sesame Street", the beloved children's television show will soon be available on streaming giant Netflix as well as its long-time home at US public broadcaster PBS.
Popular characters "Elmo, Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby, and all their friends are coming to Netflix later this year, with Sesame Street's all-new, reimagined 56th season -- plus 90 hours of previous episodes -- available to audiences worldwide," Sesame Workshop, the non-profit group behind the children's program, said in a statement.
New episodes of the educational staple, which premiered in 1969 to high viewership and glowing reviews, will be "available same day-and-date in the US on PBS stations and PBS KIDS digital platforms" as they will be on Netflix, Sesame Workshop said on Monday.
Netflix has exclusive worldwide premiere rights and will also be able to develop video games for the "Sesame Street" brand, it said.
The streamer also confirmed the deal in a statement.
Sesame Workshop has been facing financial struggles, with grants disappearing and a lucrative distribution deal with HBO expiring.
Under that past agreement, PBS could release new "Sesame Street" episodes only months after they debuted on HBO.
National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service are only partly funded by US taxpayers and rely heavily on private donations.
