HBO Gets Sesame Street First, for the Next Five Years

The producers of Sesame Street announced a deal with HBO on Thursday that gives the cable network exclusive first rights to new episodes of the beloved children’s television show. Those new episodes will also air on PBS after a nine-month delay. Executives of Sesame Workshop say the deal gives them enough money to produce twice as many episodes and possibly create spinoffs. Critics argue that access to public broadcasting’s flagship show should not be distributed commercially. We’ll discuss the deal and how fans can ensure they always find their way to Sesame Street.