• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Netflix

Netflix suspends Big Bird

By
JP Mangalindan
JP Mangalindan
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
JP Mangalindan
JP Mangalindan
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 4, 2014, 2:41 PM ET
Photo by PhotoAlto/Anne-Sophie Bost—Getty Images

Anyone hoping to stream “Sesame Street” on Netflix is out of luck because of ongoing contract negotiations.

The situation came to light on Wednesday when “Sesame Street” put up the following Facebook status update:

Screen Shot 2014-09-04 at 10.55.08 AM

According to a source familiar with the matter, PBS’s deal with Netflix (NFLX) recently expired before the two parties renewed their contract, leading to the blackout.

In June, PBS extended its agreement with Netflix to stream several kiddie series like “Wild Kratts,” “Dinosaur Train,” and “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.” But they had a separate deal in place for Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind “Sesame Street” for the show’s six most-recent seasons.

The source however said Netflix and PBS continue to negotiate and are hopeful the situation will be resolved in the weeks to come. Regardless, the show’s sudden disappearance from America’s No. 1 video streaming service ruffled the feathers of many Big Bird aficionados.

“I thought y’all took it off Netflix! My little one and I were confused!!” wrote one Facebook user using the name of S Dee Gee.

“So glad this is being fixed!” Stephanie Braden, another Facebook user posted. “My child loves ‘Sesame Street,’ but most importantly, he learns while watching.”

Netflix declined to comment. The Sesame Workshop did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

About the Author
By JP Mangalindan
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

United Nations
AIUnited Nations
UN warns about AI becoming another ‘Great Divergence’ between rich and poor countries like the Industrial Revolution
By Elaine Kurtenbach and The Associated PressDecember 2, 2025
20 minutes ago
Anthropic cofounder and CEO Dario Amodei
AIEye on AI
How Anthropic’s safety first approach won over big business—and how its own engineers are using its Claude AI
By Jeremy KahnDecember 2, 2025
29 minutes ago
Sabrina Carpenter
LawImmigration
Sabrina Carpenter rips ‘evil and disgusting’ White House use of one of her songs in an ICE raid video montage
By Fatima Hussein and The Associated PressDecember 2, 2025
29 minutes ago
Costco
BankingTariffs and trade
Costco sues Trump, demanding refunds on tariffs already paid
By Paul Wiseman and The Associated PressDecember 2, 2025
32 minutes ago
Workplace CultureSports
Exclusive: Billionaire Michele Kang launches $25 million U.S. Soccer institute that promises to transform the future of women’s sports
By Emma HinchliffeDecember 2, 2025
59 minutes ago
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang reacts during a press conference at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in Gyeongju on October 31, 2025.
AINvidia
Nvidia CFO admits the $100 billion OpenAI megadeal ‘still’ isn’t signed—two months after it helped fuel an AI rally
By Eva RoytburgDecember 2, 2025
2 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Ford workers told their CEO 'none of the young people want to work here.' So Jim Farley took a page out of the founder's playbook
By Sasha RogelbergNovember 28, 2025
4 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Warren Buffett used to give his family $10,000 each at Christmas—but when he saw how fast they were spending it, he started buying them shares instead
By Eleanor PringleDecember 2, 2025
9 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Forget the four-day workweek, Elon Musk predicts you won't have to work at all in ‘less than 20 years'
By Jessica CoacciDecember 1, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Innovation
Google CEO Sundar Pichai says we’re just a decade away from a new normal of extraterrestrial data centers
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 1, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of December 1, 2025
By Danny BakstDecember 1, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Big Tech
Elon Musk, fresh off securing a $1 trillion pay package, says philanthropy is 'very hard'
By Sydney LakeDecember 1, 2025
1 day ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.