"Sesame Street" will stay on PBS, but also be available on Netflix worldwide.
Sesame Street heads to Netflix after Trump pulled funding
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Sesame Street and Netflix have struck a deal that will see
the popular TV show appear on the streaming platform, after
US President Donald Trump pulled funding for the free-to-air
channel PBS.
Netflix said the iconic programme is a "beloved cornerstone
of children's media, enchanting young minds and nurturing a
love of learning".
From later this year, Netflix will offer its 300 million
subscribers a new season of the show and 90 hours of
previous episodes, while still being available on PBS.
Sesame Street was also facing an uncertain future after
entertainment giant Warner Bros Discovery, which owns the
HBO platform, did not renew its deal with the half a century
old programme.
Earlier this month, Trump issued an executive order to block
federal funding for PBS and radio network NPR, alleging they
engaged in "biased and partisan news coverage".
The government body Corporation for Public Broadcasting,
which backed the two broadcasters, has since announced the
termination of a federal initiative which funded shows for
children, including Sesame Street.
Under the deal, PBS will get access to Sesame Street episodes
on the same day they are released on Netflix.
In the late 1960s, Sesame Street co-founders Lloyd Morrisett
and Joan Ganz Cooney approached Harvard University's Graduate
School of Education with a novel way of teaching American
children.
A team led by a developmental psychologist worked with the
Sesame founders to analyse childhood psychology and produce
entertaining lessons.
They worked with Muppets creator Jim Henson to create
characters like Big Bird, with a set made to look like an
urban street.
Since its first airing on 10 November 1969, millions of
children have grown up with the show's theme tune "Can you
tell me how to get, how get to Sesame Street?"
Over the decades, the programme and its characters have
gained a life beyond the small screen.
Popular character Elmo stepped into the public policy
spotlight in 2002, when he was invited to discuss music
education at Congress.
During a child obesity epidemic in the US in 2006, Sesame
Street aired Health Habits segments designed to teach kids
about diet and exercise.
The Cookie Monster declared cookies a "sometimes food" and
taught children about a balanced diet.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama also visited Sesame's
studios to film a segment on healthy eating.
Netflix has been increasing its focus on children's content,
that accounts for 15% of viewing on its service.
It also announced on Tuesday that new episodes of Peppa Pig
and a mobile game with puzzles and colouring activities
would be coming to the platform.
The animated show is centred on the adventures of a
four-year-old piglet called Peppa who lives with her family
in a fictional British town.
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[NEWS] "Sesame Street" to be funded by Netflix