Sesame Workshop, the non-profit that produces Sesame Street, has named veteran digital media exec Joseph Giraldi as its new chief operating officer.

Reporting to newly-installed CEO Sherrie Westin, Giraldi, most recently a co-founder of the consulting firm Cjbk Media Group, will have as an early priority finding a new home for fresh episodes of Sesame Street after Warner Bros. Discovery opted not to renew an output deal with HBO and Max.

Format changes are also in the works for the long-running children’s series, starting with season 56 set to debut in fall 2025. The show will drop the magazine-style format for two longer, narrative-driven segments, joined by a new animated segment Tales From 123.

Giraldi brings to Sesame Workshop wide experience in driving new business growth in digital media, including completing executive stints at Imax, Time Inc. and Ibm. He also held executive roles over 12 years at Paramount with the Smithsonian Channel — including executive vp,...