On July 7, 2012, Sprout began to produce educational programming blocks for NBC and Telemundo, branded as " NBC Kids" and "MiTelemundo" respectively. Apax Partners sold HIT Entertainment to Mattel on Octothe sale did not include HIT's stake in Sprout, which was retained by Apax. As a result, Comcast's interest in Sprout was turned over to the company. Acquisition by Comcast/NBCUniversal Ĭomcast acquired a 51% majority stake in NBC Universal from General Electric in January 2011, and would assume full ownership of the company in 2013. Ī high-definition simulcast launched in September 2010. The channel only carried advertising between programs, which were aimed towards parents and caregivers. To increase the variety of its schedule, Sprout did not repackage short-form series into half-hour episodes with interstitial segments, as had usually been the case for series imported for U.S. The multi-platform approach was designed to appeal to different viewing habits the Sprout channel featured dayparted programming blocks, with hosted segments such as activities, features, and promotions for supplemental content on Sprout's website. PBS Kids Sprout launched its 24-hour cable channel on September 26, 2005, with a reach of around 16 million viewers across the Comcast and Insight cable systems. The service would soft launch as a branded video on-demand (VOD) service. ![]() On April 4, 2005, Comcast announced that the network would be known as PBS Kids Sprout-a spin-off from PBS's children's programming brand PBS Kids. On October 20, 2004, PBS announced that it had entered into a partnership with cable provider Comcast and production companies HIT Entertainment and Sesame Workshop to launch a 24-hour cable network aimed at preschool children. History As (PBS Kids) Sprout (2005–2017) Development and launch įinal logo used as Sprout from November 13, 2013, to September 8, 2017. The channel continues to devote its daytime lineup to preschool programming.Īmid declines in viewership in comparison to Sprout, Universal Kids ended its development of new original programming in 2019, with the channel now relying primarily on acquisitions and DreamWorks Animation content (drawn primarily from the series they had originally produced for Netflix), and some of its remaining first-run programming moving to NBCUniversal's streaming service Peacock instead.Īs of September 2018, the channel is available to about 56.240 million households in the United States. ![]() In 2017, the network relaunched as Universal Kids, adding an evening and primetime lineup targeting a wider youth audience-including DreamWorks Animation content, non-scripted programming (including game shows, and youth spin-offs of reality series from its NBCUniversal sister networks, such as American Ninja Warrior and Top Chef), and acquired teen dramas. Under NBCUniversal ownership, the channel increased its investments into original programming. NBCUniversal became the sole owner of the network in 2013, after which it was renamed Sprout. After the acquisition of NBC Universal by Comcast in 2011, the company began to buy out the remaining owners' shares in the network. The channel launched on September 26, 2005, as PBS Kids Sprout, a preschool-oriented channel jointly operated by PBS, Comcast, Sesame Workshop, and HIT Entertainment, as an offshoot of the PBS Kids brand. Universal Kids is an American children's television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of NBCUniversal, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast. (requires subscription to access content) ![]() Sprout (November 13, 2013–September 8, 2017)įuboTV, YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, DirecTV Stream.
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