Your Childhood Is Always for Sale (Have You Heard Sesame Street Is Looking for a New Home?)

Streaming Wars is simply a play sentiment column by IGN’s Streaming Editor, Amelia Emberwing. Check retired nan past entry: Star Wars: Skeleton Crew — Yet Another Show Skipped Its Pilot Episode, and It's Worse for It.

“____ ruined my childhood” has ever been a really confusing phrase. A caller portion of media viewed successful adulthood has nary weight complete nan memories aliases magic knowledgeable arsenic a child. But what does deed location is nan thought that nostalgia is ever up for waste for nan highest bidder. Strangely, it’s often nan aforesaid group insisting that a remake aliases reimagining tin ruin nan joyousness of their younker who will take sides a studio’s correct to rob nan early procreation of nan aforesaid puerility glee to make a buck, but I’m not present to conflict pinch nan wall. I’m present to show you Sesame Street is for sale.

It was announced connected Friday that nan David Zaslav-headed Warner Bros. Discovery has planted a large fat “For Sale” motion connected Sesame Street to displacement its programming attraction to big and family fare. Family fare, successful this case, intends thing for each ages alternatively than titles for nan kiddos. This determination only impacts early episodes of nan long-running kids program, arsenic everything up to Season 55 of Sesame Street will stay connected Max done 2027.

It’s a existent “have your barroom and eat it too” infinitesimal for Zaslav and Max. I’ve ne'er minced words erstwhile it’s travel to exploring nan unbearably crass measurement Warner Bros. Discovery’s firm overlord views art. The legendary and basal TCM transmission was astatine consequence earlier board Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and Paul Thomas Anderson swooped successful to onslaught a woody to prevention nan network. After that deal, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group issued a connection acknowledging that “TCM is simply a taste treasure,” but wherever was that devotion anterior to 3 of nan biggest names successful Hollywood stepping in? More importantly, wherever is that knowing erstwhile it comes to basal programming for illustration Sesame Street?

I’m not truthful naive that I don’t understand that Hollywood is simply a business, but I’m besides ne'er going to impeach a workplace that killed its ain wildly celebrated branding to spell pinch nan sanction “Max” of making savvy business decisions. This Sesame Street woody lets Max support nan backmost catalogue of hundreds of episodes, meaning they understand nan worth of having thing that parents tin put connected successful nan inheritance to distract small Timmy, but don’t spot worth successful investing successful early episodes from nan children’s program.
“As we’ve launched Max though and based connected user usage and feedback, we’ve had to prioritize our attraction connected stories for adults and families, and truthful caller episodes from Sesame Street, astatine this time, are not arsenic halfway to our strategy,” a Max spokesperson explained to The Hollywood Reporter.

My contempt for a condemnation for illustration “new episodes from Sesame Street [...] are not arsenic halfway to our strategy” aside, I besides simply don’t understand really you tin spot worth successful holding 55 seasons worthy of episodes while besides not being consenting to put successful a series’ future. But, astatine nan extremity of nan day, this could besides beryllium bully news for nan monolith of children’s programming.

A move to Apple TV+ to subordinate nan streamer’s robust children’s catalogue would apt beryllium a boon for Sesame Street, particularly fixed nan truth that Apple TV+ seems to cognize what they person erstwhile it comes to prestigious and classical programming fixed that they’ve held nan authorities for nan Charlie Brown films for years.

Ultimately, nan move to put a “for sale” motion connected 1 of nan astir beloved children’s programs of each clip is yet different reminder that thing is safe aliases ineffable nether Zaslav’s power astatine Warner Bros. Discovery, but it may, astatine least, use Sesame Street if nan show manages to find nan correct home. It besides intends that Max paid a premium to support Sesame Street’s backmost catalogue, truthful there’s little of a chance that nan episodes extremity up successful purgatory for illustration nan remainder of nan shows and movies that Max and institution person yeeted from existence.

I dream Oscar nan Grouch gives Zaslav what for connected his past day.