Sesame street finds new home on Netflix after Trump pulls PBS funding
Beloved children’s television series Sesame Street is heading to Netflix in a landmark deal that follows a dramatic shakeup in U.S. public broadcasting funding. The move comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this month cutting federal funding to the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR), accusing both of providing “biased and partisan news coverage.”
Netflix, which described Sesame Street as a “beloved cornerstone of children’s media, enchanting young minds and nurturing a love of learning,” will now offer its 300 million subscribers access to a new season of the show along with 90 hours of classic episodes. Under the agreement, PBS will retain access to the episodes on the same day they premiere on Netflix, ensuring that families who rely on free-to-air content can continue to enjoy the show.
The transition comes at a critical moment for the half-century-old program, which also recently saw its deal lapse with Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of HBO, which had been hosting the show since 2015. Without new corporate backing, Sesame Street’s future was in limbo—until now.
Adding to the challenge, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting—a government entity that supported children’s programming on PBS—announced the termination of a federal initiative that funded educational shows, including Sesame Street.
Despite the upheaval, Netflix’s acquisition marks a major lifeline for the series, which has played an integral role in early childhood education for more than five decades.
First airing on November 10, 1969, Sesame Street revolutionized children’s television by blending entertainment and education. The concept was the brainchild of Lloyd Morrisett and Joan Ganz Cooney, who approached Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education in the late 1960s with the idea of using television as a powerful teaching tool.
They collaborated with a team of psychologists and educators to craft content that resonated with young viewers, eventually partnering with Jim Henson, the legendary puppeteer behind the Muppets. Characters like Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Oscar the Grouch soon became household names, brought to life on a set designed to mirror a diverse urban neighborhood.
The show has continuously evolved to reflect the times, addressing issues from literacy and numeracy to public health and social awareness. In 2002, Elmo famously testified before Congress about music education. In 2006, amid a growing childhood obesity crisis, Sesame Street introduced “Health Habits” segments featuring Cookie Monster declaring cookies to be a “sometimes food,” while encouraging kids to embrace fruits, vegetables, and exercise.
Even the White House got involved — former First Lady Michelle Obama visited the show’s studios to film a segment promoting healthy eating habits.
Netflix’s move to acquire Sesame Street aligns with its broader strategy to bolster its children’s content library. The platform recently revealed that 15% of its total viewership is children’s programming, underscoring the demand for family-friendly content.
Alongside Sesame Street, Netflix announced it will also bring new episodes of Peppa Pig and a Peppa Pig mobile game featuring puzzles and coloring activities to the platform. The British animated show, centered around a lovable four-year-old piglet, is already a global phenomenon among preschoolers.
The new partnership ensures that Sesame Street will continue to reach new generations of children—on both public television and digital platforms—despite political turbulence. As the familiar theme song asks, “Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?” — the answer for millions of viewers around the world is now: on Netflix.
