Entertainment

Sesame Workshop’s Future Plans – The Hollywood Reporter

There are few more iconic TV brands Sesame Street.

The children’s television series, which debuted in 1969 and is produced by Sesame Workshop, will premiere its 53rd season on HBO Max on November 3, but the season will also reflect echoes from 2020, both in terms of school dropouts and issues of mental well-being brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and from the George Floyd protests, where issues of inequality and racism are addressed. brought to the top.

But the season also had a turning point for Sesame Workshop itself, as it adapted to the changing media environment and to its streaming partner. Sesame Street HBO Max rethinks investing in ticket prices for kids and families.

“In a fragmented world, you know, quality gets people through the clutter and we focus on doing what we do, innovating and staying relevant,” CEO Sesame Workshop, says Steve Youngwood The Hollywood Reporter in an interview.

Youngwood was appointed CEO of Sesame Workshop in October 2020, as the impact from the Floyd protests is still being felt and with concerns about COVID and education at the forefront.

And so Sesame StreetThe 53rd season will see it lean towards the concept of “identity and belonging”.

“We are an educational media organization, we entertain to educate,” says Youngwood. “And so the beginning of the channel is that it has to be fun, it has to be fun and it has to be engaging, but we do it to educate.”

“It’s always been in our DNA and after the events of 2020 – not just COVID but really more importantly, George Floyd and the conversations it started – it led us to say, you know, we’re always on this, but the whole world is in a slightly different place and the conversations we have to have [needed to adapt]and we had a bit more pointed,” he added.

Sesame Street responded with special episodes focusing on those topical issues and organized CNN halls so the whole family could watch where they could be addressed. Now, the organization is going a step further, weaving the lessons learned from those specials into episodes throughout the season.

“We’ve learned that at this point that’s true, but here we’re going to have a broader impact and really prepare children for the diverse world they’re in,” Youngwood said. live,” said Youngwood. “It starts with making them feel good about themselves and making them respect others. And that brings joy. ”

But Sesame Street won’t overlook the “foundational skills” children need to grow up, be it language, math, or other important subjects. Youngwood says the learning gaps caused by COVID make those issues all the more important to address. And in the spring of 2023, “you’ll find us a top priority from next year, mental health and wellbeing, you know, again, always an issue, but a raised issue. by COVID,” he added.

Sesame StreetSesame Workshop’s renewed focus on identity is in the process of redefining itself, not only through the content it creates but also through the platforms it produces.

The organization may have come into existence through a single TV show airing on a public broadcast network, but it currently produces content for a variety of sources, including, yes, PBS and HBO Max, where top programming is broadcast and streamed, but also YouTube, where the next generation of families often prioritize kids’ content, and WhatsApp, in parts of the world where the app Meta-owned messaging is the dominant form of communication.

Youngwood said: “The world changes quite quickly and we are always striving to grow. “It’s both the reality of the world that keeps me up at night, but it also energizes me because it’s both a necessity and an opportunity.”

“We are trying to identify the issues that are most important to children and families. And then create content across multiple touchpoints,” Youngwood adds. “Because if you’re going to have an impact at scale, that’s what you need to do. And the show is mass programming at the top of the channel, one-to-many, but then we do one-to-many with YouTube and then we do more one-to-one with more field-targeted work. school or with community service providers. ”

And that means evolving content, or remaking existing content, to fit, fresh, and natively with whatever platform it runs on.

“The way we see it, it’s pretty simple. Where is the audience and how do we reach them? ” he says. “And sometimes it can be the same content on multiple platforms, but sometimes it has to be, it has to be different.”

It is about “helping to create” Sesame Street not just the show,” Youngwood said. “And then actually making Sesame Workshop more than just Sesame Street because in this divided world, if you want to reach children and engage children and families, you need many things. ”

It’s a strategy that could prove its worth in 2025, when Sesame Workshop’s current contract with HBO Max for streaming Sesame Street is set to end. HBO and HBO Max have been home to new episodes of the show since 2016 (they aired on PBS about a year later), but under new company owners Warner Bros. Discovery, HBO Max has cut programming for kids and families.

In addition to canceling some original shows, HBO Max also removed about 200 episodes of its library Sesame Street, part of larger cost-saving measures at the company. With WBD rethinking its investment in child and family fare, it is questionable whether the HBO Max deal will continue.

“We kept thinking about it,” Youngwood said. “We’ve had a great history with HBO Max, and you know, it would be great if that continued in some form. They have to map out their strategy.”

“But you know, we’ve launched a partnership with Apple, we have things going with Netflix, we have things going with NBC, we have things going with other people. ,” he added.

In other words, even if Sesame Street Finding a new home is to ensure that Sesame Workshop remains relevant and important to families everywhere.

“As an organization, we need multiple touch points. And that’s really important to expand the content that we have,” Youngwood said. “We continue to see how the market evolves and who we think the best partners will be, and get to know those partners in different ways.”

“Well then, you know, I think the future will take care of itself.”




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