There's a new place to go to get your Big Bird fix.
HBO, the premium TV network known for "The Sopranos" and "Game of Thrones," announced on Thursday that the next five seasons of the classic children's show "Sesame Street" would premiere on HBO.
The company also said it would license old episodes of "Sesame Street" as well as other Sesame Workshop shows, and develop a spin-off series called "Sesame Street Muppet."
After nine months on HBO, Sesame Workshop episodes will become available on PBS. HBO said it was making the show available to PBS member stations for no charge.
The new agreement between HBO and PBS comes only a few months after HBO launched its new standalone streaming service, HBO Now. The HBO service, which costs $15 a month, puts the premium network in direct competition with Netflix and Amazon, which already have a robust lineup of children's programming.
HBO already has some family programming, but building up its catalog, especially with a high-profile show such as "Sesame Street," is essential to broadening the appeal of HBO Now, which costs about twice as much as Netflix.
If a family is making a choice between subscribing to HBO Now, Netflix, or Amazon's service (which is $99 a year and includes free shipping) for example, 250 episodes of Sesame programming, along with HBO staples such as "Game of Thrones," could help the family justify paying for HBO over the others.
Children's programming on subscription streaming services, which allow unlimited streaming on many different devices, makes a lot sense. As many parents know, kids like to watch the same shows and episodes over and over again, and they don't really mind if they watch on a TV or on a smartphone or tablet.
HBO said it would also license a back catalog of about 50 episodes of "The Electric Company" and "Pinky Dinky Doo," as well as 150 older episodes of "Sesame Street."
In all, about 250 episodes of children's programming will come to HBO in the fall.
