Sesame Workshop, the creator behind the iconic children’s show Sesame Street, has forged a new and expanded partnership with YouTube. This collaboration will bring a significant library of the show to the video platform and includes a series of educational workshops for creators, teaching them how to produce content that is both entertaining and educational for young audiences.
As part of the deal, YouTube will host a catalog of hundreds of full episodes of Sesame Street. The partnership extends beyond the existing library to include new content specifically created for the YouTube audience, featuring the show’s beloved cast of characters. This move is a strategic acknowledgment of the shifting landscape of childrens entertainment, where digital creators like Ms. Rachel have become household names, sometimes even before classic figures like Big Bird.
This YouTube agreement is the second major streaming deal for Sesame Workshop in a short period. It follows a recently announced partnership with Netflix, which is set to stream new episodes of Sesame Street starting in November. Together, these deals signal a new chapter for the long-running educational program, ensuring its widespread availability after a period of uncertainty.
The future of Sesame Street and its traditional home on free public broadcasting was thrown into question recently. Warner Bros. Discovery decided to end its licensing partnership with Sesame Workshop in 2024, removing a key distribution channel. Furthermore, the show, which benefits from government funding for public media, has also been affected by budget cuts made during the previous administration.
These new partnerships with digital giants like YouTube and Netflix provide a much more stable foundation for the series. They guarantee that families will have multiple, free ways to access Sesame Street content. This shift to major streaming platforms also presents an opportunity for the show to reach entirely new generations of viewers who primarily consume content online.
YouTube has firmly established itself as a dominant hub for kids entertainment and educational content. The platform is already home to a vast ecosystem of child-friendly creators, and the addition of an official, extensive Sesame Street library significantly bolsters its offerings. By also training creators through workshops, Sesame Workshop is directly engaging with and shaping the future of digital childrens programming, ensuring that quality, educational values are promoted across the platform.
This strategic pivot to streaming services marks a significant evolution for Sesame Street, allowing it to maintain its cultural relevance and educational mission in a rapidly changing media environment.