No more classic episodes to be released in the near future

[ssetta]

I recently spoke with Tim Carter at Sesame Workshop, and asked if they plan on releasing any more classic episodes, on DVD or iTunes. He basically told me that Old School 4 is not going to be released this season, and there are not any plans to release anymore iTunes episodes. I was a bit surprised about Old School 4, since I think they said last year that if Old School 3 did well enough, the 4th volume would be released. With iTunes, I was a bit less surprised about. The 2 volumes were released less than a year apart, and when The Electric Company released their classic episodes, they also only did 2 volumes.

There isn't much classic material going on the YouTube channel either lately, so I wonder if maybe it's because they figure that we already have enough classic material?

 

[D'Snowth]

I think they said last year that if Old School 3 did well enough, the 4th volume would be released.

Just for the record, that's what these studios and companies ALWAYS say: they say if a certain volume, season set, or whatever sells well, that'll help get the following release out sooner, but it never works that way. MGM released the first three seasons of GREEN ACRES months apart from one another, then just stopped, and it's been eight years now and we STILL haven't gotten the last three seasons.

It was five years in between Volume 2 and 3 of Old School, and I'm sure 2 sold relatively well.

 

[minor muppetz]

I wonder if there's any way of knowing how well Volume 3 did.

I noticed that it only said Old School Volume 4 wouldn't be released this season, as opposed to there being no current plans to release it at all. Then again, I don't know how you communicated (by phone, in person, e-mail) or if it's possible to copy the exact words. But I figured we wouldn't get one this year when it was announced that November's Sesame DVD release would be Fairytale Fun that we wouldn't get a volume 4 this year (for some reason Warner Home Video has never released any Sesame Street DVDs in December). Of course, Fairytale Fun will have a late-1980s Sesame Street News segment as a bonus clip, so we'll be getting one late-1980s clip on DVD this year.

Hopefully if we don't get a fourth volume anytime soon we'll get some kind of collectors-themed release.

 

[Drtooth]

Like I said, give them all the time in the world so we can work out the stupid rights that kept the theme song off the last set. That was embarrassing. I'd rather wait to have a quality set with no rights hold ups than have them rush one out.

Besides... next year is the 45th. SW could be holding out till then. Seems like a much more apropos time to release anything classic.

 

[minor muppetz]

I know there hasn't been any official announcements regarding any kind of 45th anniversary DVD release (heck, so far there hasn't even been any official confirmation that the 45th anniversary will be celebrated at all), but if there is, it'd be an interesting parallel. After the second volume we didn't get any kind of collectors release for two years then we got the 40th anniversary release... Again, we don't know if we'll get a release for the next anniversary.

I kind of pointed this out in the first thread, but I must say again that in the first thread it was said that volume 4 won't come out this season (I guess he means winter, if not just the Christmas season) while there are no current plans to release more iTunes episodes. Which makes me a little hopeful, since he apparently didn't say there were no plans at all for volume 4 while he supposedly did say there were no plans for more iTunes episodes.

 

[Drtooth]

I know there hasn't been any official announcements regarding any kind of 45th anniversary DVD release (heck, so far there hasn't even been any official confirmation that the 45th anniversary will be celebrated at all), but if there is, it'd be an interesting parallel. After the second volume we didn't get any kind of collectors release for two years then we got the 40th anniversary release... Again, we don't know if we'll get a release for the next anniversary.

I don't think they'll divulge any 45th anniversary plans until the 44th season is over at least. Anything we'd get won't be announced for a little while at least, much like last time. When did we even find out about the big coffee table book? I doubt it was a year in advance.

I'm starting to wonder. SW had to lay off a percentage of its work force to make budget. How many do you suppose worked in the archive? Seems that the huge massive Archive Panic of 45 years worth of footage would be a feat to take care of. No wonder why they can't find that Crack Master thing, even though we could tell them exactly what episode it's in. Probably take some time to find said episode.

 

[D'Snowth]

I am kind of curious as to just what and where they store all those episodes in. I remember on THE GREAT SPACE COASTER's Facebook page, they had a photo of a storage unit where the master tapes of all their 250 were stored on easy to assemble metal shelves... though 250 is a LOT less than WELL over 4000, they'd probably need a unit as big as the studio where SST is shot itself to store all those episodes in.

 

[Oscarfan]

There isn't much classic material going on the YouTube channel either lately, so I wonder if maybe it's because they figure that we already have enough classic material?

Right now, they're promoting the new season by uploading the new material as it airs. After the season ends in March, classic stuff will be posted up through season 45 promotions start.

 

[Drtooth]

Actually, anyone subscribing to them on Youtube should see that they've started something called "Throwback Thursdays." And by that I mean, just started and they only have one not that old 90's or so clip of Ernie and Bert with a Banana telephone.

They're uploading things almost daily. Parody segments one day, songs another. We'll just have to wait until Thursday to see how committed they are to older segments.

 

[Oscarfan]

Actually, anyone subscribing to them on Youtube should see that they've started something called "Throwback Thursdays." And by that I mean, just started and they only have one not that old 90's or so clip of Ernie and Bert with a Banana telephone.

They're uploading things almost daily. Parody segments one day, songs another. We'll just have to wait until Thursday to see how committed they are to older segments.

They're actually just re-branding previously uploaded videos to their channel with a new preview image.