Sesame Street is heading to HBO. The premium cable network will air the next five seasons of the children's TV show, with the first starting as early as this fall. For the first nine months, these episodes will exclusively appear on HBO and its streaming services, but then air on PBS and its member stations—Sesame Street's home for the past 45 years.

While Sesame Street is the most important children's show in TV history, it has struggled in recent years to stay afloat. The New York Times reports that PBS provided less than 10 percent of the show's funding. Meanwhile, since about two-thirds of children watch Sesame Street on demand, the show hasn't received nearly as much licensing income than it has in the past.

At PBS, Sesame Workshop was producing 18 episodes per year. At HBO, however, the nonprofit organization will do 35 new episodes per year. HBO has also licensed 150 library episodes and will air a Sesame Street-Muppets spinoff. Read the official press release here.