The Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch and the rest of the gang are leaving HBO Max this month, when season 55 of Sesame Street comes to a close.
But never fear, the educational series and beloved cult classic has found a new home on Netflix for future seasons. But that’s not all – if you don’t pay for Netflix, then there will be a way to watch the show for free from next year.
When is Sesame Street coming to Netflix?
Sesame Street will appear on Netflix starting from 10 November 2025, with season 56 premiering on the service. Around 90 hours of past seasons will also be available to stream.
The Tudum blog post confirms that new episodes will now focus on a singular 11-minute story (dropping the traditional magazine format), and will be available on the same day that they air on PBS channels for free.
According to Sesame Workshop (via Variety):
We are excited to announce that all new ‘Sesame Street’ episodes are coming to Netflix worldwide along with library episodes, and new episodes will also release the same day on PBS Stations and PBS Kids platforms in the U.S., preserving a 50+ year relationship. The support of Netflix, PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting serve as a unique public-private partnership to enable Sesame Street to continue to help children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder.
Kay Wilson Stallings, Executive Vice President, Chief Creative Development and Production Officer for Sesame Workshop, revealed that Sesame Street will be reimagined on Netflix. The segments will be longer and the stories more sophisticated, and the show will be enriched with a new animated series, Tales From 123. The much-loved Elmo’s World and Cookie Monster’s Foodie Truck segments will also return.
It’s worth noting that Netflix will also develop video games for Sesame Street, as well as Sesame Street Mecha Builders.
If you don’t have Netflix, then there is another option – if you’re prepared to wait.
Stream Sesame Street for free from next year
From January 2026, the biggest video streaming site, YouTube, will get the largest library of Sesame Street content.
YouTube is free to use, and Kids content (which we assume Sesame Street falls under) is ad-free, so you don’t even need a YouTube Premium account to avoid commercials.
There will be original content from the Sesame Workshop exclusive to YouTube, as well as full episodes. Plus, YouTube will host seminars for creators who are looking to create educational content for kids, encouraging more videos for younger audiences.
It’s unclear at the moment if this deal will include season 56 of Sesame Street, which debuts on Netflix in November.
What’s happening to Sesame Street on HBO Max?
Warner Bros. Discovery announced in December 2024 that it wouldn’t renew its five-year contract to distribute the show on HBO Max. Warner’s decision was related to a change in strategy for its streaming service.
As the spokesperson for HBO Max stated (via The Hollywood Reporter):
It has been a wonderful, creative experience working with everyone at Sesame Street on the iconic children’s series and we are thrilled to be able to keep some of the library series on Max in the US. As we’ve launched Max though and based on consumer usage and feedback, we’ve had to prioritize our focus on stories for adults and families, and so new episodes from Sesame Street, at this time, are not as core to our strategy.
However, it doesn’t mean that Sesame Street will immediately disappear from HBO Max – the series will be available on the platform through 2027.
Of course, US-based viewers will still be able to catch episodes of Sesame Street daily on PBS stations and PBS Kids digital platforms.