HBO Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Original programming=== HBO innovated [[original programming|original entertainment programming]] for cable television networks, in which a television series (both dramatic and comedic), made-for-television movie, or entertainment special is developed for and production is primarily, if not exclusively, handled by the channel of its originating broadcast. Since 1973, the network has produced a variety of original programs alongside its slate of theatrical motion pictures. Most of these programs cater to adult viewers (and, with limited exceptions, are typically assigned [[TV Parental Guidelines#TV-MA|TV-MA ratings]]), often featuring—with such content varying by program—high amounts of profanity, violence, sexual themes or nudity that [[basic cable]] or over-the-air broadcast channels would be reticent to air because of objections from sponsors and the risk of them pulling or refusing to sell their advertising depending on the objectionable material that a sponsor is comfortable placing their advertising. (Incidentally, since the early 2000s, some ad-supported basic cable channels—like [[FX (TV network)|FX]] and [[Comedy Central]]—have incorporated stronger profanity, somewhat more pervasive violence and sexual themes, and occasional nudity in their original programs, similar to the content featured in original programs shown on HBO and other premium services, with relatively limited advertiser issues.) Mainly because it is not beholden to the preferences of advertisers, HBO has long been regarded in the entertainment industry for letting program creators maintain full [[artistic freedom|creative autonomy]] over their projects, allowing them to depict gritty subject matter that—before basic cable channels and streaming services deciding to follow the model set by HBO and other pay cable services—had not usually been shown on other television platforms. During the "Executive Actions" symposium held by ''[[The Washington Post]]'' and [[George Washington University]] in April 2015 (shortly after the launch of the HBO Now streaming service), then-HBO CEO Richard Plepler said that he does not want the network to be akin to [[Netflix]] in which users "[[binge watching|binge watch]]" its television shows and film content, saying "I don't think it would have been a great thing for HBO or our brand if that had been gobbled up in the first week[..] I think it was very exciting for the viewer to have that mystery held out for an extended period." Pleper cited that he felt that binge-watching does not correlate with the culture of HBO and HBO watchers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Here's Why HBO's CEO Doesn't Want You To Binge-Watch Shows|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/28/hbo-slams-binge-watching_n_7160496.html|author=Chris Morran|work=HuffPost|date=April 28, 2015}}</ref> Some of its original programs, however, have been aimed at families or children, primarily those produced before 2001 (through its original programming division and third-party producers both American and foreign) and from 2016 to 2020 (under its agreement with Sesame Workshop); children's programs that have aired on HBO have included ''Sesame Street'', ''[[Fraggle Rock]]'', ''[[Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child]]'', ''[[A Little Curious]]'', ''[[Crashbox]]'', ''[[Babar (TV series)|Babar]]'', ''[[HBO Storybook Musicals]]'', ''[[Lifestories: Families in Crisis]]'', ''[[Dear America]]'' and ''[[The Little Lulu Show]]'' as well as acquisitions including ''[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1986 TV series)|The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]]'', ''[[The Legend of White Fang]]'', ''[[Shakespeare: The Animated Tales]]'', ''[[Animated Hero Classics]]'' and ''[[The Country Mouse and the City Mouse Adventures]]''. Beginning in 2001, most of the family- or kid-oriented programs had migrated to HBO Family, with only a limited amount of newer family-oriented series being produced for either the primary channel or HBO Family since. (HBO Family continued to maintain a limited slate of original children's programming until 2003.) HBO ventured back into children's programming with its acquisition of first-run broadcast and streaming rights to ''[[Sesame Street]]'', a long-running children's television series that had previously aired on the program's longtime broadcaster, [[PBS]] (and its morning block), for the vast majority of its run, in a five-year programming and development deal with [[Sesame Workshop]] that was announced in August 2015. Although struck with the intent to have the show remain on PBS in some fashion, the nonprofit [[production company]] reached the deal due to cutbacks resulting from declines in public and private donations, distribution fees paid by PBS member stations, and licensing for merchandise sales. Through the agreement, HBO obtained first-run television rights to ''Sesame Street'', beginning with the January 2016 debut of its 46th season (with episodes being distributed to PBS, following a nine-month exclusivity window at no charge to its member stations); Sesame Workshop also produced original children's programming content for the channel, which also gained exclusive streaming rights to the company's programming library for HBO Go and HBO Now (assuming those rights from [[Amazon Prime Video|Amazon Video]], [[Netflix]] and Sesame Workshop's in-house subscription streaming service, Sesame Go, the latter of which will cease to operate as a standalone offering).<ref name="cnnmoney-sesamestreet">{{cite web|title='Sesame Street' is heading to HBO|url=https://money.cnn.com/2015/08/13/media/sesame-street-hbo/index.html|author=Frank Pallotta|author2=Brian Stelter|publisher=[[CNN]]|date=August 13, 2015|access-date=August 13, 2015|author2-link=Brian Stelter}}</ref><ref name="sw-hbomax">{{cite press release|title=HBO Max and Sesame Workshop Announce New Content Partnership Cementing a Shared Commitment to Kids and Families|url=https://www.sesameworkshop.org/press-room/press-releases/hbo-max-and-sesame-workshop-announce-new-content-partnership-cementing|website=[[Sesame Workshop]]|date=October 3, 2019|access-date=May 10, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Sesame Street is killing off its subscription streaming service, Sesame Go|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2015/08/14/sesame-street-is-killing-off-its-subscription-streaming-service-sesame-go/|author=Brian Fung|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=August 14, 2015|access-date=August 15, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title='Sesame Street' to Air First on HBO for Next 5 Seasons|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/14/business/media/sesame-street-heading-to-hbo-in-fall.html|author=Emily Steel|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 13, 2015|access-date=August 13, 2015|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=HBO Picks Up 'Sesame Street' As Kids' Viewing Habits Change|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/hbo-picks-up-sesame-street-in-five-year-pact-with-sesame-workshop-1201569335/|author=Brian Steinberg|newspaper=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=August 13, 2015|access-date=August 14, 2015}}</ref> With the debut of HBO Max in May 2020, under contract renewal terms agreed upon between the studio and WarnerMedia in October 2019, ''Sesame Street'' and other Sesame Workshop content will shift from the linear television service to the streaming-based HBO Max later in the year.<ref name="sw-hbomax"/> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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