The Children's Television Workshop, creator of Sesame Street, has signed a long-term agreement with Random House that will expand the publishing relationship between the two companies while also providing for the development of CTW characters in other media.

The core of the deal calls for the Random House children's media group to assume publication of low-priced Sesame Street books in such formats as storybooks, color and activity books and workbooks. Random already publishes high-end Sesame Street books; the new formats will be added to the list on July 1. Golden Books had been the publisher of Sesame Street's mass market line. CTW views the agreement with Random, which gives the publisher all English-language rights, as a way to integrate its publishing program under one house.

CTW and Random also plan to develop books from CTW television properties other than Sesame Street and to create television programming based on book properties whose dramatic rights are held by the Random children's group. In addition, Gary Knell, executive v-p, operations, for CTW, said the agreement will give CTW the chance to explore opportunities in the "new media arena of online programming and services."