HBO Max is removing 200 episodes of Sesame Street and parents are furious
Twitter: Sesame StreetAmidst cuts to the HBO Max catalog, 200 episodes of Sesame Street have been taken down, angering parents.
Ever since the merger between HBO and Discovery, the streaming service has come under scrutiny for controversial decisions such as shelving the already-completed Batgirl.
Following the merger, HBO Max head David Zaslav has been an unpopular figure for moves that include layoffs, re-setting the DCEU, and removing titles from the streaming service.
Earlier this week, HBO Max removed 20 of its original shows, including “Infinity Train,” “Generation,” and “Summer Camp Island.” It seems that their work was not done there.
According to a report by Variety, HBO Max has removed more than 200 episodes of classic Sesame Street from the site.
Variety says that “The removal of the ‘Sesame Street’ episodes and other recent content by HBO Max appears to be part of new owner Warner Bros. Discovery’s belt-tightening moves, aimed at reducing streaming-content payment obligations.”
Responses from viewers, particularly parents, have not been kind to HBO.
One Twitter user snarkily wrote that they were looking forward to the episode “that teaches us about tax write-offs.”
A grandparent bemoaned the changes, pointing out how the earlier Sesame Street episodes were better for young viewers and such content wouldn’t be available in newer episodes on the platform.
Finally, a Twitter user dropped a Michael Jordan meme with Discovery’s attitude towards young viewers.
Even though the text isn’t visible, the picture is often accompanied by an iconic Jordan quote “f**k those kids.”
Although HBO Max still has over 450 Sesame Street episodes on the platform and the show still runs on PBS, viewers are clearly unhappy with this decision.
In combination with the other decisions that cut down on content, it seems clear that HBO Max isn’t getting a ton of public support.