“Sesame Street” has a new address: HBO. The seminal children’s television show officially starts its run on premium cable this fall with a new format (a half-hour instead of an hour), new shows (35 each season instead of 18), and most importantly for the Sesame Workshop, new money.

In the past, “Sesame Street” had been funded largely through licensing revenue and DVD sales, with 10 percent of the show’s budget coming through PBS. With the rise of on-demand viewing (about two-thirds of “Sesame Street” viewers stream the show instead of watching it on PBS), the show’s income has taken a nosedive, and PBS was unable to make up the difference, forcing “Sesame Street” to look for other partners.

“The partnership is really a great thing for kids,” says Jeffrey Dunn, chief executive of Sesame Workshop. “We’re getting revenue we otherwise would not have gotten, and with this we can (provide) more content for kids.” New shows eventually will make it to PBS—nine months after their first airing on HBO. (New York Times)