PBS has struck a deal with Apple and the iconic holiday Peanuts classics are going to air on television, the way it has been for decades, Fox News reports.
Last month, fans of the Peanuts classics voiced disappointment when it was announced that the animated movies would not be airing on television during the holiday season and would be exclusively available for viewing on Apple TV.
After some pushback, it appears that some of the films will now be aired on PBS or for free on Apple TV.
A Charlie Brown Christmas and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving will be airing on PBS Kids at specific dates and times during the holiday season, but not It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, the iconic Halloween classic.
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving will be airing on November 22 at 7:30 pm EST. The Thanksgiving classic will also be available to stream for free on Apple TV from November 25th-27th, according to a press release obtained by Fox News.
Additionally, A Charlie Brown Christmas will air on PBS Kids on December 13, 2020, also at 7:30 EST. Further, the classic film will be available on Apple TV from December 4th for subscribers but available to stream for free on December 13th. The show will stop being available for free, however, on December 14th.
This update follows a change.org petition that Christian Headlines previously reported on that highlighted how the specials were going to be taken off the air based on Apple TV’s original deal with the parent company of the Peanuts classics. The petition garnered over 263,000 signatures and gained traction online.
“Last night it was announced that Apple had swiped the football from us and claimed the specials for their Apple TV platform, leaving us devoted fans who have grown up with Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang in the dark, unable to watch,” the petition read.
Thankfully, at least for this year, the football has not been swiped from Peanuts fans’ feet. And many are hopeful this deal will save the classics for years to come.
Related:
More Than 196,000 Sign Petition to Bring the Peanut’s Holiday Classics Back to Network TV
Photo courtesy: ©Sony Music Entertainment
John Paluska has been a contributor for Christian Headlines since 2016 and is the founder of The Daily Fodder, a news outlet he relaunched in 2019 as a response to the constant distribution of fake news.
