Sesame Street is about to start looking for a new home. HBO and Max have decided not to renew an output deal giving them first dibs on all new episodes of the iconic preschool series. But Max will continue to license older seasons of Sesame Street for its catalogue through 2027—and episodes from season 55 are still slated to debut on the streamer in January.

Sesame Workshop entered into its multi-year deal with HBO in 2015, making the network Sesame Street‘s exclusive, first-run subscription television distribution partner. Four years later, streaming platform Max acquired the rights to premiere new seasons of the show, in addition to exclusive spinoff content like The Not Too Late Show with Elmo.

“We are excited to extend our 10-year partnership with WBD, keeping Sesame Street‘s iconic library available on Max through 2027,” says a Sesame Workshop spokesperson. “We will continue to invest in our best-in-class programming and look forward to announcing our new distribution plans in the coming months, ensuring that Sesame Street reaches as many children as possible for generations to come.”

This decision to discontinue the Sesame Street output deal is connected to a reduced focus on kids programming at the streamer—which first started to play out in August 2022, when Max (HBO Max at the time) signalled a shift away from live-action kids content by canceling SPT’s Gordita Chronicles and axing several titles in its catalogue.

According to a statement from Max: “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. 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.”

Meanwhile, Sesame Workshop is continuing to work on a new show format for season 56. The addition of a more narrative-driven approach with higher stakes, and a move away from the show’s magazine-style format are among the planned changes.