LONDON—A new Ampere Analysis study finds that familiar franchises are successfully driving kids’ TV consumption on Netflix and that the streamer's big bet on "Sesame Street" will fill an important gap in its programming as the popular “CoComelon” is set to depart Netflix in 2027.
“Franchises play an important role in the Children and Family genre because brand recognition not only helps build awareness for upcoming titles, but it also creates a sense of trust in the quality of the content—crucial for parents,“ Ampere Senior Analyst Christen Tamisin explained. “Netflix recognizes this and draws upon both established IPs and franchises while introducing new popular content from YouTube. The iconic franchise ‘Sesame Street’ will be a welcome addition to the Netflix catalog, providing quality programming for a key demographic with a high likelihood of engagement. The battle for kids’ attention is definitely on.”
As background, the researchers noted that with a steady flow of content, “Sesame Street’ has long been a mainstay of children’s entertainment. Despite its global success, however, its future looked uncertain when Warner Bros. Discovery chose not to renew its deal the Sesame Workshop.
Netflix stepped in to give "Sesame Street" a new global home, and according to the new research from Ampere, the partnership is likely to strengthen its popularity with kids and families.
Netflix launched a new season of Sesame Street on Nov. 10, and also offers more than 90 hours of back episodes.
More specifically, Ampere reported that:
- Familiarity delivers audiences: In children’s entertainment, franchises, established content, and popular IP consistently capture audience attention. Between H1 2021 and H1 2025, major US commissioners1 released over 400 TV seasons of kids’ shows derived from franchises, amounting to 47% of their scripted children and family TV commissions, more than any other genre. “Sesame Street” topped the list of kids franchises with 16 brand new seasons—four from the original show and 12 spinoffs. “Sesame Street” on Netflix will drive this further.
- Shows built on established IP perform well in the kids space: Titles built on familiar IP appear consistently in the U.S. Netflix daily Top 10 Kids’ Shows chart with high view counts, underlining how brand recognition and discoverability sustain audience engagement and loyalty. As a well-loved and highly recognizable brand, “Sesame Street” is likely to be a strong performer from this perspective.
- From YouTube to Netflix: To compete with long-established studios and TV networks, Netflix has previously relied on new media as a source of hit kids content. Some of the most viewed kids shows on Netflix (based on total-season views) in H1 2025 first launched on YouTube: “Cocomelon” (83.1 million views), “Ms. Rachel” (53.4 million views), and “Bebefinn” (29.9 million views). However, by acquiring such a longstanding TV brand in “Sesame Street,” Netflix is further establishing itself as a trusted mainstay of the TV market, akin to the networks it competes with, especially in the view of parents with young children.
- Retention opportunity: Although “Cocomelon” viewership has eased over time, it still ranks among Netflix’s top 10 shows across all genres. With "CoComelon" leaving for Disney+ in 2027, “Sesame Street” could help Netflix fill a key gap and sustain engagement in the preschool segment.
