HBO Max Deepens Tie-Up With ‘Sesame Street’ in Streaming Battle
HBO Max Deepens Tie-Up With ‘Sesame Street’ in Streaming Battle
(Bloomberg) -- Kids’ programming is one of the main fronts in the war for streaming-video viewers, and AT&T Inc.’s coming HBO Max service is shoring up its forces with a new commitment to “Sesame Street” shows.
The streaming service, set to launch next spring, will feature the next five seasons of the “Sesame Street” flagship show, along with access to the program’s 50-year library of episodes, AT&T’s WarnerMedia division said Thursday. New “Sesame Street” episodes will continue to air free on PBS stations after premiering on HBO Max, as will the coming 50th season after it airs on the HBO premium cable channel.
The pact with producer Sesame Workshop also includes “Sesame Street” specials; a live-action celebrity talk show called “The Not Too Late Show With Elmo”; a new season of the animated show “Esme & Roy”; and two new animated series, WarnerMedia said.
HBO Max will be entering a crowded marketplace of streaming services with kid appeal, including Walt Disney Co.’s Disney+, which launches next month. Streaming giant Netflix Inc. last spring bought the StoryBots children’s media brand in preparation for squaring off against the new Disney offering.
“Sesame Street is, and always has been, the gold standard for children’s programming, and we’re thrilled that Sesame Workshop chose HBO Max as its new partner,” Robert Greenblatt, chairman of entertainment and direct-to-consumer at WarnerMedia, said in a statement.
The initial agreement is domestic-only, with the partners saying they will “explore expanding globally as HBO Max grows.”
To contact the reporter on this story: John J. Edwards III in Boston at jedwardsiii1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net, John J. Edwards III
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