Universal Kids

Former logo used as PBS Kids Sprout from September 26, 2005, to November 12, 2013.

Final logo used as Sprout from September 21, 2009, to September 8, 2017.

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.[2] Created to “strengthen the competitive positions” of all of the parties, PBS Vice-President of digital ventures Deron Triff noted that the content would be “consistent with PBS’s values” and “meet certain curricular objectives and have been tested for educational efficacy.”[3] 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. The service would soft launch as a branded video on-demand (VOD) service.[4] 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.[4]

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.[4] 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. broadcast.[4] The channel only carried advertising between programs, which were aimed towards parents and caregivers.[4]

A high-definition simulcast launched in September 2010.[5]

Comcast acquired a 51% majority stake in NBC Universal from General Electric in January 2011, and would assume full ownership of the company in 2013. As a result, Comcast's interest in Sprout was turned over to the company.[6] Apax Partners sold HIT Entertainment to Mattel on October 24, 2011; the sale did not include HIT's stake in Sprout, which was retained by Apax.[7] On July 7, 2012, Sprout began to produce educational programming blocks for NBC and Telemundo, branded as "NBC Kids" and "MiTelemundo" respectively. The blocks both replaced Qubo (a previous joint venture between NBCUniversal, Ion Media, Corus Entertainment, Scholastic, and Classic Media),[8] which had been airing on NBC and Telemundo since September 2006.[9][10]

In December 2012, Sesame Workshop sold its interest in Sprout to Comcast. On March 19, 2013, Comcast acquired the remaining 49% of NBCUniversal it did not already own,[11] and concurrently acquired Apax's stake in Sprout.[12] Comcast then acquired PBS's share in Sprout on November 13, 2013, giving it full ownership. As a result, the network's operations were brought under the NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Group, and the "PBS Kids" branding was removed (thus officially shortening its name to "Sprout"). Its operations were later moved from Philadelphia to NBCUniversal's facilities in New York City.[13][14][15][16][12]

Under NBCUniversal ownership, Sprout began to increase its investments in original programming to better compete with Disney Junior and the Nick Jr. Channel, with a goal to double its original series output to at least 30% of its schedule by the end of 2015, and displace older and non-exclusive library content in favor of original series and acquisitions exclusive to the channel.[17][18] Sprout programs such as The Chica Show also earned increased visibility airing on NBC as part of the NBC Kids block.[19][18]

On September 26, 2015, Sprout underwent a brand refresh to mark the tenth anniversary of its launch, with new on-air imaging inspired by modern technology and mobile devices, a new tiny house-inspired studio at 30 Rockefeller Plaza for its hosted morning block The Sunny Side Up Show, as well as the premiere of Nina's World—an original animated series spun off from its evening block The Good Night Show.[17] Actress Alyssa Milano began to make appearances in interstitial segments as Sprout's "Mom-bassador", with a particular focus on the channel's public service campaign "Kindness Counts".[17]

The network's head Sandy Wax stated that Sprout also planned to experiment with more half-hour programs, and commission programming with more "complex stories" that can appeal better to older preschool audiences.[17]

First Universal Kids logo used from September 9, 2017 to April 11, 2019.

In August 2016, NBCUniversal acquired DreamWorks Animation.[20][21] Deirdre Brennan, formerly of Canadian media company Corus Entertainment, was named the new president of Sprout in January 2017, replacing the outgoing Sandy Wax.[22]

On May 1, 2017, NBCUniversal announced that it would be relaunching Sprout on September 9, 2017, as Universal Kids; the relaunched network aimed to be "an umbrella brand for [NBCUniversal's] family offerings", becoming a more direct competitor to other Networks such as Disney Channel and Nickelodeon.[23] Universal Kids would introduce primetime programming targeting a wider youth and pre-teen audience, while still carrying preschool programming as a block under the Sprout branding from 3 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET daily.[24][25] Brennan explained that Sprout needed to "grow up with the rest of the family", and that Universal Kids would "[offer] something to 2 to 12 year olds that has a slightly different purpose—widening their eyes, opening their minds and celebrating many aspects of being a kid."[26]

The network would launch with a slate of original non-scripted series, including Bear Grylls: Survival School and Top Chef Junior. NBCUniversal intended to make "significant" investments in original content for Universal Kids over the next three years, including original scripted programming.[26] The launch lineup included a large number of international acquisitions, particularly from the U.K., Australia, and Canada (such as The Next Step and Nowhere Boys); Brennan acknowledged that since youth audiences had become "globally aware", the network wanted to showcase foreign series that had not yet aired in the United States.[26] Universal Kids would also feature programing produced by Canadian studio DHX Media for Family Channel and its sister networks, as well as co-produce series with the company (such as the sitcom Bajillionaires);[27][28][29] DHX had recently entered into a programming agreement with DreamWorks Animation for its networks.[30]

DreamWorks would be leveraged by Universal Kids to bolster its programming, with linear television premieres of DreamWorks' Netflix series such as All Hail King Julien and Dragons: Riders of Berk as part of its launch lineup.[31][25][26] Industry observers felt that the integration of DreamWorks IP with Universal Kids would help NBCUniversal establish a viable multi-platform competitor to other major children's networks.[32][24][33][31][34] The network planned to continue investing in preschool programming for the Sprout block; Brennan stated of Sprout that "the greatest thing is, there is nothing to fix there. Sprout is a beautiful brand. If anything, we want to invest more in original production. There is more we can explore there."[26]

Universal Kids saw a significant decrease in viewership in comparison to its previous incarnation as Sprout, with IndieWire reporting a 30% decline in 2017, followed by a 73% drop in 2018.[35][36] Brennan was replaced by Frances Berwick as network president in February 2019.[37] In April of that year, Universal Kids unveiled a new logo and branding designed by the design agency Kill 2 Birds.[38] On June 19, it was reported that Universal Kids had ceased the development of original programming, and had laid off its development staff or transferred them to other NBCUniversal properties. Thereafter, the channel would rely primarily on DreamWorks content, acquisitions, and its remaining slate of original programming.[39][40] Some Universal Kids original series, such as American Ninja Warrior Junior, Super Wings and Where's Waldo?, moved to NBCUniversal's new streaming service Peacock.[41][42]

Based on numbers from Nielsen, Variety ranked Universal Kids as the 132nd most-watched broadcast or cable network in the United States in 2021, ranking ahead of only Discovery Familia and BabyFirst in terms of children's channels on the list.[43] It fell further to 139th place in 2022.[44]

Prior to the Universal Kids launch, Sprout continued to premiere new series such as Kody Kapow, joining a slate that was included Dot, Nina's World, and DreamWorks-produced Noddy, Toyland Detective.[24][25] New acquisitions such as Masha and the Bear would premiere on the Sprout block alongside the relaunch.[26]

On August 14, 2017, Sprout replaced its long-running morning block Sunny Side Up with Sprout House (renamed Snug's House in 2018), which is presented by Carly Ciarrocchi and the new character Snug, a talking dog portrayed by puppeteer Chris Palmieri, through 90-second segments throughout the block. The program was designed to be more flexible to produce than its predecessor, with a different "tiny house" set with additional areas and camera options. Unlike Sunny Side Up, the segments are pre-recorded instead of broadcast live; supervising producer Vinny Steves felt that the live format was too "limiting", and explained that the new format was also designed to enable the segments to be distributed on digital platforms such as social media. With the launch of Sprout House, the network began to downplay its longtime mascot, Chica, although she was still featured in certain segments (such as Chica at School) until 2020, when it along with the Sprout House / Snug's House segments were removed from Universal Kids' lineup. However, the channel did briefly air reruns of The Chica Show (a former Sprout original show in which Chica starred in), on May 20, 2019, along with Moon and Me and Mofy, but all of these series stopped airing in that same year and 2021 respectively. However, the former aforementioned show reaired on the network on December 24 and 25, 2022, until it stopped airing on the channel once again, thus putting an end to the network's longtime chicken mascot altogether, and also removing the last vestige of Sprout.[47]

Masha and the Bear left Universal Kids in the US on January 1, 2023, but cable TV providers like Charter Spectrum & DirecTV state that it's still there, and also streaming services like FuboTV, YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, and DirecTV Stream.[48]