So…Sesame Street is getting started on HBO. I would not say, “Moving to HBO” because PBS will be showing the episodes nine months after they air first on HBO. The fact of the matter is that Sesame Street will be airing original episodes on HBO. Honestly, this is kind of a big deal. Sesame Street has been on PBS since 1969 and my entire life. But, from the information in the New York Times report, HBO may be saving Sesame Street from closing.
I think the real story is that times are changing. I do not think we fully grasp how fast our world is changing. Both Sesame Street and HBO are trying to survive these changes by branching out to new venues. Streaming video is hurting both companies bottom line and the companies are adapting. HBO is changing its strategy from being cable only. Sesame Street is changing its strategy from being PBS only. Both are fiscally sound risks, in my opinion. The question will be raised however, when HBO attempts to exercise editorial control over the series to either boost ratings or support an agenda. The change in both companies reflects the rapidly changing times.
So much has changed since I was born, when Sesame Street was not even a year old. Some much has also changed since HBO was born and I was just two years old (1972). Most of the revolutionary changes have seemed to have occurred since 2000 and the advent of high-speed internet, mobile technology, and social media. It is a new world and things will be changing more and more, many of these changes in the near future will be changes in response to the changes that are already happening—HBO and Sesame Street are a perfect example.
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Photo from SesameStreet.com