About 200 episodes of “Sesame Street” have been removed from HBO Max. HBO Max is the streaming platform that has been sweeping movies and TV shows in recent weeks as it prepares to integrate with another streaming service, Discovery+.
Fans of “Sesame Street” were surprised Friday when hundreds of episodes from the show’s first 40 years were removed from HBO Max.
This is HBO Max’s latest shift after its former parent WarnerMedia merged with Discovery in April. The two companies jointly formed Warner Bros. Discovery, which he aims to save $3 billion to reduce $55 billion in debt.
About 70 HBO Max staff members were laid off this week as part of a restructuring, and HBO Max announced: 36 titles being pulled from the platform. The pulled shows included the animated series Infinity Train and the Sesame Street spin-off The Not Late Show with Elmo.
The company’s chief executive, David Zaslav, told investors earlier this month that it also plans to combine content from HBO Max and Discovery+ into a single paid subscription streaming service.
It wasn’t clear what that meant for the future of HBO Max’s “Sesame Street.”
As of Friday, HBO Max has cut the number of “Sesame Street” episodes it offers from 650 to 456. Variety reported. Some spin-off series include seven seasons of “Sesame Street Friends” and Elmo and Elmo Abby CadabyA pink fairy who joined Sesame Street in 2006.
All episodes of “Sesame Street” from season 39, which aired in 2008, to season 52, the most recent season, are still available on HBO Max. The latest season, 53, will air on HBO Max in the fall.
The only episodes available prior to Season 39 are from Seasons 1, 5, and 7. fan favorite In Bert and Ernie’s bathroom, all the characters come together to sing a song.
Some of the most notable episodes of HBO Max stream once It aired in 1983 after the death of Will Lee, the actor who played Mr. Hooper, and is no longer available, including an episode featuring Big Bird facing death.
HBO said in a statement that the streaming platform is “committed to continuing to bring Sesame Street to homes.”
“‘Sesame Street’ has always been an important part of television culture and the crowning jewel of our preschool education,” the statement said.
Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind “Sesame Street,” signed a five-year deal with HBO in April 2015 to provide premium cable networks with the premiere of new episodes. The episode airs for free nine months after the show aired on his PBS for 45 years.
In 2019, Sesame Workshop signed a similar deal to HBO Max, which launched in May 2020. Both deals gave HBO Max access to the vast back library of “Sesame Street,” but never made all episodes available at the same time. time.
Several episodes of the show were released on PBS and Sesame Street YouTube account.
Sesame Workshop did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.
Joe Hennes, Editor-in-Chief tough pigA website for fans of “Sesame Street,” The Muppets, and other Jim Henson creations, said the “Sesame Street” episodes still available on HBO Max were “random combinations.”
“We’re missing episodes that are culturally significant or that more casual fans would say, ‘I want to see it again,'” Hennes said.
Hennes, who worked in Sesame Workshop’s creative department from 2012 to 2021, said he feared the episode’s deletion indicated a fading relationship between HBO Max and Sesame Workshop. rice field.
Sesame Workshop expanded its services and increased production value with an influx of funds from its premium cable network. Henes said HBO Max’s production and outreach efforts could be restricted if it reduces its financial support or terminates the relationship.
“In a perfect world, HBO Max would want to invest more in Sesame Street to make it its flagship streaming network,” Hennes said. “So it’s a little baffling for them to back off and say we’re going to cut this and not really leverage their own investment in the franchise.”
After HBO Max’s decision to remove the episode was made public, the official Sesame Street Twitter account appeared to be addressing the change.
“Our friends from Sesame Street are always here when you need them.” said. “Watch full episodes on our YouTube channel and visit your neighborhood anytime.”