In October, Apple TV+ announced that it will exclusively stream the Peanuts holiday specials as part of a wider deal that includes new Snoopy and Charlie Brown original series. That announcement irked some people, leading to a ~250,000 signature petition that asked Apple to keep to tradition and put these specials on broadcast TV.
It seems Apple has listened to the complaints. The company today announced that PBS will air both Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and Charlie Brown Christmas.
Originally, Apple promised free three-day windows for the specials so that anyone with access to the TV app could tune in and watch, no subscription required. The shows would then be available as paid content on Apple’s streaming service. This already happened with “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” this Halloween just gone.
Under the new arrangement, the upcoming holiday specials will also get shown on PBS without commercials. Before this year’s Apple TV+ deal, these specials were shown on CBS and ABC stations with advertising.
“A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” will be aired on PBS and PBS Kids on November 22 at 7:30 PM. PBS will screen “A Charlie Brown Christmas” on December 13 at 7:30 PM.
For paying subscribers, TV+ will start streaming “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” from today. “A Charlie Brown Christmas” will be available from December 4.
If viewers would rather watch for free on Apple TV+, they can do so between November 25 and November 27 for “Thanksgiving”, and between December 11 and December 13 for “Christmas”. This obviously requires an Apple ID and access to the TV app, but does not require a paid subscription to TV+.
It’s not clear if this arrangement with PBS is only in place for this year, or if it will continue in 2021. Presumably, Apple TV+’s forthcoming original Charlie Brown specials will always be exclusive — joining the existing TV+ launch title made by Peanuts: Snoopy in Space.
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