'Sesame Street; Signs New Deals With Netflix and PBS

"Sesame Street," the iconic 56-year-old children’s television program, has secured transformative new distribution agreements with Netflix and PBS, announced on Monday, May 19, 2025. These deals promise to significantly expand the show’s global reach while providing a critical financial lifeline to Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind the series, which has been navigating a severe financial crisis

Starting later in 2025, new episodes of "Sesame Street" will be available to Netflix’s vast audience of over 300 million subscribers worldwide, a monumental leap in accessibility compared to the show’s previous distribution channels. 

This move positions "Sesame Street" to engage a broader and more diverse audience, including families in regions where access to traditional broadcast television may be limited. Simultaneously, PBS, the public broadcaster that served as the show’s original home since its debut in 1969, will regain access to brand-new episodes, airing them on the same day they premiere on Netflix. 

This marks the first time in approximately a decade that PBS will feature fresh "Sesame Street" content, reconnecting the program with its public broadcasting roots.

This dual distribution model ensures that "Sesame Street" remains accessible to both streaming audiences and viewers who rely on free, over-the-air television, aligning with Sesame Workshop’s mission to deliver educational content to children regardless of socioeconomic background. The arrangement also introduces a new era of collaboration between Netflix, a global streaming giant, and PBS, a publicly funded network, highlighting a shared commitment to quality children’s programming.

The deals come as a much-needed boost for Sesame Workshop, which has faced significant financial strain in recent years. In 2025, the organization laid off approximately 20 percent of its workforce after several key grants expired, exacerbating its budgetary challenges. More critically, Sesame Workshop confronted a substantial revenue loss with the expiration of its lucrative distribution agreement with HBO, a deal that had been a cornerstone of its financial stability since 2015.