HBO Max pulls nearly 200 episodes of Sesame Street

Nearly 200 episodes of “Sesame Street” have been pulled from HBO Max, the streaming platform that has been purging movies and TV shows in recent weeks as it prepares for it. Combine with another streaming service, Discovery +.

“Sesame Street” fans were surprised Friday to see hundreds of episodes, mostly from the show’s first 40 years, had been removed from HBO Max.

This is the latest turnaround for HBO Max following the merger of its former parent company, WarnerMedia, with Discovery Inc. in April. The two companies together formed Warner Bros. Discovery, which aims to save $3 billion in an effort to reduce its $55 billion debt.

this week, About 70 HBO Max employees have been laid off As part of the reorganization, HBO Max announced that 36 titles pulled from the platform. Shows pulled included the animated series “Infinity Train” and “The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo,” a spin-off of “Sesame Street.”

David Zaslav, the company’s CEO, also told investors this month that the company plans to offer a single paid subscription streaming service, combining content from HBO Max and Discovery+.

It wasn’t clear what that would mean for the future of “Sesame Street” on HBO Max.

As of Friday, HBO Max has reduced the number of “Sesame Street” episodes it offers to 456 from 650, Miscellaneous mentioned. Some sub-series have escaped execution, including seven seasons of “My Sesame Street Friends” and “The Magical Wand Chase” special, featuring Elmo And the Abby Cadabethe Pink Fairy in Training who joined Sesame Street in 2006.

Every episode of “Sesame Street” from seasons 39, which aired in 2008, through 52, the final season, is still available on HBO Max. The new season, 53, will air on HBO Max in the fall.

The only episodes available prior to season 39 are from seasons 1, 5, and 7, including Fan favorite Where all the characters gather for a one-on-one session in Bert and Ernie’s bathroom.

Some of the most notable episodes of HBO Max one time stream No longer available, including the episode that aired in 1983 and featured Big Bird facing death, after the death of the actor who played Mr. Hopper, woe to me.

HBO said in a statement that the streaming platform is “committed to continuing to bring ‘Sesame Street’ into the homes of families.”

“Sesame Street has been and continues to be an important part of TV culture and the crown jewel of what we offer preschoolers,” the statement read.

Sesame Workshop, the non-profit group behind “Sesame Street,” has struck a five-year deal with HBO. in April 2015 To give your premium cable network the extension First round of new episodes. The episodes will then be streamed for free nine months later on PBS, where the show has aired for 45 years.

in 2019Sesame Workshop struck a similar deal with HBO Max, which began in May 2020. Both deals also gave HBO Max access to Sesame Street’s massive back library, though they didn’t make all episodes available at the same time.

Some episodes of the show are available on PBS and sesame street youtube account.

Sesame Workshop did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.

Joe Haines, Editor in Chief tough pigA website for fans of “Sesame Street,” dolls and other Jim Henson creations, said that “Sesame Street” episodes still available on HBO Max were a “random lineup.”

“The culturally significant episodes, or the episodes where a casual fan would probably say, ‘I’d like to see that again,’ are those things that are missing,” Haines said.

Mr. Hennes, who worked in Sesame Workshop’s creative department from 2012 to 2021, said he was concerned that the episode’s removal could signal a fading relationship between HBO Max and Sesame Workshop.

Simsim Workshop has expanded its offerings and increased its production values ​​with the influx of funding from the premium cable network. If HBO Max reduces its financial support or ends the relationship, Mr. Hennes said it could limit the nonprofit’s production and outreach work.

“In an ideal world, HBO Max would like to further invest in Sesame Street and truly make it the leader a broadcast network can have,” said Mr. Haines. “So it’s baffling that they decide to back off and say we’re going to do less of this and not really benefit from their investment in the franchise.”

After HBO Max’s decision to remove episodes became public, the official Twitter account for “Sesame Street” appeared to be addressing the change.

“Your Sesame Street friends will always be here when you need them,” He Said. Visit the neighborhood any day of the week with full episodes on our YouTube channel.