Netflix and PBS have announced new deals with Sesame Workshop that will see new episodes of “Sesame Street” stream on Netflix and air on PBS Kids.

The deals came amid concerns over the future of “Sesame Street” following cutbacks to public media funding and the end of an output deal with Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max streaming service that had been airing new episodes along with PBS.

Unlike the Max deal, the new agreements call for new episodes to air on PBS stations the same day they start streaming on Netflix.

In announcing the deal, Netflix said the program “is coming to Netflix later this year, with ‘Sesame Street’s’ all-new, reimagined 56th season — plus 90 hours of previous episodes from previous seasons — available to audiences worldwide.”

The streamer also promised notable changes to the show. “The new season will feature fresh format changes and the return of fan-favorite segments like Elmo’s World and Cookie Monster’s Foodie Truck,” Netflix said. “Expect new ways to play along as Cookie Monster opens his very own Cookie Cart on Sesame Street, and explore Abby’s Fairy Garden, a home to surprising and delightful magical creatures.”

PBS said the new deal for “Sesame Street” will include these features:

• New episodes will be released on PBS stations, the PBS Kids Channel, and across PBS Kids digital platforms.
• An expanded collection of 25 new and library episodes will be available to stream across PBS Kids digital platforms. New episodes will also be available on Netflix the same day.
• New games will be added to the growing library of 25-plus “Sesame Street” games available on pbskids.org and the PBS Kids Games app.
• Full episodes and clips will be available on the PBS Kids YouTube Channel.
• Sesame Workshop and PBS Kids will expand the existing library of parent and educator resources on PBS Kids for Parents and PBS LearningMedia.
• An evergreen toolkit of “Sesame Street’-related assets will be available to PBS stations to support their local sustainability and public service efforts.

“I strongly believe that our educational programming for children is one of the most important aspects of our service to the American people, and ‘Sesame Street’ has been an integral part of that critical work for more than half a century,” said Paula Kerger, president and CEO, PBS. “We’re proud to continue our partnership in the pursuit of having a profound impact on the lives of children for years to come.”

With support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and PBS, this partnership ensures PBS’s ability to continue making this programming and providing it for free and without commercials the same day as the episodes become available on Netflix the same day, the networks aid.

“This unique public-private partnership ensures children in communities across the U.S. continue to have free access on PBS Kids to the Sesame Street they love,” said Sherrie Westin, CEO, Sesame Workshop. “This combined support advances our mission and ensures we can help all children—everywhere—grow smarter, stronger, and kinder.

As part of a push to improve the accessibility of its content, PBS Kids has announced that it has integrated American Sign Language (ASL) interpretations into multiple series that will be available for free on PBS Kids digital streaming platforms. 

This new content builds on PBS Kids’ extensive accessibility offerings, the network reported. Working with series producers from GBH Kids, Fred Rogers Productions, along with Bridge Multimedia and The Described and Captioned Media Program, PBS Kids integrated ASL interpretations into six popular PBS Kids series, with 10 episodes for each.

The series with ASL-integrations include: “Work It Out Wombats!”, “Pinkalicious & Peterrific”, “Arthur”, “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood”, “Donkey Hodie”, and “Alma’s Way”. The series with the ASL interpretations went live on April 18. 

PBS Kids also reported that its efforts to improve accessibility included research into their audience and their needs. The research found that for its audience, kids aged 2-8, is learning to read, but many are not yet independent readers. For those younger deaf and hard-of hearing (HoH) kids, they can’t simply access the audio content of a story via captions, but are in need of and benefit from seeing the ASL translations.

As part of the effort, PBS Kids and Bridge Multimedia also closely studied the optimal ASL placements and integrations within programming through user testing. 

This research-based attention to detail involved the placement of the ASL interpreter on-screen, who was moved around based on proximity to the character who is actively speaking. The interpreter also wears props (i.e. glasses) to look more like the character they were interpreting, PBS Kids reported. 

In addition PBS Kids also focused on the facial features of animated characters that indicate the ASL playlist on the website. For example, an initial design for the animated Deaf and hard-of-hearing (HoH) character did not include eyebrows. Following input from expert advisors indicated that eyebrows are an important aspect of facial communication that Deaf and HoH people rely on, the characters were redesigned. 

ARLINGTON, Va.—After some initial delays in entering the streaming market, PBS has announced that as of Tuesday, Dec. 17, more than 100 of its member stations are now streaming live on YouTube TV.

YouTube TV will feature dedicated live channels for PBS and PBS Kids, as well as on-demand programming. According to PBS, this is the first local livestreaming partnership for the public network and makes its local public television content—including “American Experience,” “Antiques Roadshow,” “Frontline,” “Masterpiece,” “Daneil Tiger’s Neighborhood” and “Sesame Street”—available to more than 75% of U.S. households.

Full line-ups in the participating areas are available either through the YouTube TV live guide or the PBS schedule. Select content is also available through YouTube TV’s VOD service.

“PBS is committed to making trusted content available to all households across as many platforms as possible,” said Ira Rubenstein, PBS chief digital and marketing officer. “We are pleased that YouTube TV recognizes public television’s unique structure and worked with us to provide our viewers with more ways to watch programs that they love through their local PBS station.”

PBS first announced that it was going to have some local PBS stations available on YouTube TV starting in November, but those plans were delayed shortly before the scheduled launch date.

Additional PBS stations are expected to become available on YouTube TV next year.

SAN BRUNO, Calif.—YouTube TV subscribers will have to wait a little longer to gain access to their local PBS channels on the vMVPD, as YouTube TV and PBS have announced a delay in the rollout.

In a post from Cord Cutters News, there were reports that PBS and PBS Kids channels would be made available on YouTube TV by today, Nov. 4, but a tweet from Twin Cities PBS said the plans have now shifted to some time before the end of the year.

“PBS and YouTube TV have jointly decided to delay the launch for a few more weeks with a target prior to 2020,” the tweet read. “Everyone wants the best experience for viewers; therefore some final testing is still being rolled out.”

Find out more on Cord Cutters News.

PBS will finally make its entry into the streaming market when YouTube TV starts adding its stations starting Nov. 4, according to Cord Cutters News. It’s also expected that PBS Kids will also be added at that time.

Some PBS stations, including WGBH in Boston and WHYY in Philadelphia, will not be among the first round of stations to be added, according to sources.

At the time it was announced in July, PBS described the move as the “first digital partnership of its kind” for the network and that it expected to be on the YouTube TV platform by the end of 2019. YouTube TV is a virtual OTT multichannel provider that was among the first to carry all local broadcast stations. Monthly subscriptions run at $50 and the service for more than 70 channels.

The road to OTT for PBS was more convoluted than for network broadcasters because PBS stations are more independent than their commercial counterparts and deal with more programming rights issues. The network had to reach a “critical mass” of stations signing on before it could make a commitment to streaming. The agreement PBS reached allows for up to three PBS stations to stream per market.

The deal wasn’t without some controversy as some smaller PBS stations complained about the fees that it would have to pay—ranging from $250 to $1,500 per month—to Google, which owns YouTube TV.

“The cost may be more than we had thought,” David Gordon, GM of KEET in Eureka, Calif., told Current last summer. “We’re just going to have to find the money to do it.”