Sesame Street has found a new streaming address. After a five-year run on Max, the long-running children’s franchise is heading to Netflix under a fresh licensing deal that gives the streamer next-day access to new episodes from Season 56 onward—while keeping the series on PBS where it’s been a fixture for over five decades.
Under the new arrangement, episodes will premiere on PBS and then drop the same day on Netflix, expanding reach while preserving free access via public television and PBS Kids platforms. The dual-platform strategy is a notable shift in how Sesame Street is being positioned across the evolving media landscape—still free for families who rely on it, but now also placed in front of Netflix’s global subscriber base.
The move marks another chapter in the show’s long-running effort to balance commercial licensing with its public mission. The new deal arrives as part of Sesame Workshop’s broader effort to modernize the brand’s distribution while staying anchored to its nonprofit educational roots.
Sesame Street had been streaming exclusively on Max since 2020 under a prior arrangement with Warner Bros. Discovery, which also funded new content and spin-offs during that window. That deal formally sunset this year.
PBS president and CEO Paula Kerger reiterated the network’s commitment to keeping Sesame Street free-to-air, calling it a cornerstone of PBS’s educational programming. Sherrie Westin, president and CEO of Sesame Workshop, framed the partnership with both Netflix and PBS as a win for access and impact. Sara DeWitt, who oversees PBS Kids, emphasized that the dual rollout helps maintain equity in early childhood learning, regardless of household income or streaming access.
With more than 50 years on the air, Sesame Street remains one of the most durable brands in children’s television. This new hybrid release model signals how legacy IP is adapting in a platform-agnostic era—one where streaming visibility and public access can co-exist without cannibalizing each other.
