Sesame Workshop targets SE Asia

Sesame Street’s Oscar the Grouch

Non-profit educational organisation Sesame Workshop has appointed a distributor in South-east Asia for new and classic episodes of Sesame Street.

Vietnam’s Thaole Entertainment will now represent a catalogue of Sesame programming that also includes The Furchester Hotel and Elmo the Musical in countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan.

Rights available include free terrestrial TV, pay TV and subscription VoD. The Sesame Street brand currently reaches 156 million children across more than 150 countries, according to Sesame Workshop.

“We have worked with Sesame Workshop in Vietnam since 2004 and have seen first-hand the positive impact it has had on many children living in areas where there is limited access to quality programming,” said Linh Phan, director of Thaole Entertainment.

It comes as US premium cablenet HBO is preparing to air new episodes of the long-running series after securing exclusive first-run rights to the show’s next five seasons earlier this year.

Season 46 of the show will begin airing on HBO on January 16, with an updated set, a new cast member and shorter 30-minute episodes.