Universal Kids facts for kids
Final logo used from 2019 to 2025
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Headquarters | 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English Spanish (via SAP audio track) |
| Picture format | 1080i HDTV (downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | PBS (2005–2013) Sesame Workshop (2005–2013) HIT Entertainment (2005–2012) Apax Partners (2005–2013) NBCUniversal (Comcast) |
| Parent | NBCUniversal Media Group |
| Sister channels | |
| History | |
| Launched | September 26, 2005 (as PBS Kids Sprout/Sprout) September 9, 2017 (as Universal Kids) |
| Replaced | PBS Kids (Original) |
| Closed | March 6, 2025 |
| Former names |
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Universal Kids was a TV channel in the United States made for children. It was owned by NBCUniversal, which is part of Comcast. The channel showed a mix of cartoons, game shows, and other fun programs for kids and pre-teens.
The channel first started on September 26, 2005, as PBS Kids Sprout. It was a special channel just for very young children (preschoolers). It was created by PBS, Comcast, Sesame Workshop, and HIT Entertainment. Later, Comcast took full ownership of the channel, and its name changed to Sprout in 2013.
In 2017, the channel changed again and became Universal Kids. It started showing programs for a wider age group, including content from DreamWorks Animation. It also had shows like American Ninja Warrior Junior and Top Chef Junior. The Sprout name was still used for the daytime shows for preschoolers until early 2018.
Over time, fewer children watched cable TV channels. Because of this, Universal Kids stopped making new original shows in 2019. The channel then mostly showed older DreamWorks cartoons and other acquired programs. Some of its newer shows moved to NBCUniversal's streaming service, Peacock. Universal Kids eventually stopped broadcasting on March 6, 2025.
Contents
History
How Universal Kids Started: PBS Kids Sprout (2005–2017)
Creating a New Channel for Young Kids
In 2004, PBS, a public broadcasting service, teamed up with Comcast (a big cable company), HIT Entertainment, and Sesame Workshop (the creators of Sesame Street). Their goal was to create a new 24-hour TV channel just for preschool children. They wanted the shows to be educational and fun, just like PBS programs.
On April 4, 2005, they announced the channel would be called PBS Kids Sprout. It first launched as an on-demand video service. Then, on September 26, 2005, the 24-hour cable channel officially began. It took the place of an earlier PBS Kids Channel. When it first launched, PBS Kids Sprout reached about 16 million homes.
The channel offered different ways to watch shows. It had special blocks of programming throughout the day. These blocks included fun activities and promotions for extra content on Sprout's website. Unlike regular PBS, PBS Kids Sprout showed commercials. However, these ads were few and were mostly for parents and caregivers.
In 2009, the popular music group The Wiggles moved their show to PBS Kids Sprout. They even hosted a new morning block called Sprout's Wiggly Waffle. A month later, the channel changed its name to simply Sprout. However, the full "PBS Kids" name was still used on screen until 2013. A high-definition (HD) version of the channel also launched in September 2010.
Changes in Ownership: Comcast and NBCUniversal
In 2011, Comcast bought most of NBCUniversal. By 2013, Comcast owned all of NBCUniversal. Because of this, Comcast also gained full ownership of Sprout. Other original partners, like Sesame Workshop and PBS, sold their shares to Comcast. This meant Sprout became fully part of NBCUniversal. The channel's main offices then moved from Philadelphia to New York City.
During these changes, Sprout also helped create educational TV blocks for NBC and Telemundo. These blocks were called "NBC Kids" and "MiTelemundo." They showed educational programs for children. "NBC Kids" stopped airing in 2016, but "MiTelemundo" continued until 2018.
Under NBCUniversal, Sprout started investing more in its own original shows. This helped it compete with other children's channels. By 2015, Sprout aimed for at least 30% of its schedule to be original series. Shows like The Chica Show even aired on NBC as part of the "NBC Kids" block.
On September 26, 2015, Sprout celebrated its tenth anniversary with a fresh new look. It had new on-air designs and a new studio for its morning show, The Sunny Side Up Show. A new animated series, Nina's World, also premiered. Actress Alyssa Milano became a "Mom-bassador" for the channel, promoting kindness.
By this time, most of the older shows from PBS's library were no longer on Sprout. In 2017, the original 24-hour PBS Kids Channel, which Sprout had replaced, was brought back by PBS. Sprout also started to experiment with longer shows and more complex stories to appeal to slightly older preschoolers.
Universal Kids: A New Chapter (2017–2025)
In August 2016, NBCUniversal bought DreamWorks Animation, the studio behind movies like Shrek and Kung Fu Panda. This led to big changes for Sprout.
On May 1, 2017, NBCUniversal announced that Sprout would relaunch as Universal Kids on September 9, 2017. The idea was to create a channel for a wider range of young people, from 2 to 12 years old. Universal Kids would have new shows for older kids and pre-teens in the evenings. The Sprout brand would continue for preschool shows during the day, from 3 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.
The new Universal Kids channel launched with many original non-scripted shows. These included Bear Grylls: Survival School and Top Chef Junior. NBCUniversal planned to invest a lot in new content for Universal Kids. The channel also showed many international series from places like the U.K., Australia, and Canada. This was because kids today are "globally aware" and enjoy shows from around the world.
DreamWorks Animation content was a big part of Universal Kids. The channel showed TV premieres of DreamWorks series that were originally on Netflix, like All Hail King Julien and Dragons: Riders of Berk. This helped Universal Kids compete with other major children's networks. The channel also continued to invest in preschool programming for the Sprout block.
However, Universal Kids saw a big drop in viewers compared to when it was Sprout. In 2019, the channel stopped developing new original shows. Many of its remaining original series, like American Ninja Warrior Junior and Where's Waldo?, moved to NBCUniversal's streaming service, Peacock. The channel then mostly relied on DreamWorks content and acquired shows.
This change happened as fewer people were watching traditional cable TV channels for kids. Many families were moving to streaming services instead. By 2024, Universal Kids was one of the least-watched cable networks.
Channel Closure
On January 7, 2025, cable providers announced that Universal Kids would stop broadcasting on March 5, 2025. NBCUniversal confirmed the channel's closure on January 13, 2025. The channel's website was redirected to information about the new Universal Kids Resort being built in Texas. Universal Kids quietly closed down at midnight ET on March 6, 2025. After a short musical segment, a screen appeared saying "Universal Kids is no longer in service."
What Universal Kids Showed
Universal Kids often showed long "marathon" blocks of one program. These blocks featured individual segments or multiple episodes playing continuously for 1 to 3 hours. This style was similar to how popular children's series are often streamed on YouTube.
The channel's original shows included Top Chef Junior, game shows like Beat the Clock and The Noise, and American Ninja Warrior Junior. It also aired many series from DreamWorks Animation and shows bought from international partners. In 2021, Universal Kids also got the rights to show content from the popular YouTube channel Cocomelon.
Shows for Preschoolers
When it was PBS Kids Sprout, the channel showed many popular preschool programs from the PBS Kids library. These included Sesame Street, Dragon Tales, Teletubbies, Barney & Friends, and Thomas & Friends. Even after PBS sold its share to NBCUniversal in 2013, many of these shows continued to air for a while.
By September 26, 2015, most of the PBS shows were no longer on Sprout. However, a few, like Caillou and The Berenstain Bears, stayed on the channel for longer. Caillou aired until March 2019, and The Berenstain Bears aired until the channel became Universal Kids. Later, shows like Barney & Friends and Bob the Builder even returned to the channel for a time. Many of these shows are now available on NBCUniversal's streaming service, Peacock.
Before becoming Universal Kids, Sprout also started showing new original series like Kody Kapow, Dot, Nina's World, and DreamWorks' Noddy, Toyland Detective. New acquired shows like Masha and the Bear also premiered on the Sprout block.
On August 14, 2017, Sprout changed its morning block from Sunny Side Up to Sprout House (later called Snug's House). This new show featured Carly Ciarrocchi and a talking dog puppet named Snug. The segments were pre-recorded, making them easier to share online. The channel also started to feature its longtime mascot, Chica, less often.
Global Reach
As of October 2023, Universal Kids was available in about 47 million homes in the United States. Like most TV channels, it had different feeds for the Eastern and Pacific time zones. The DreamWorks Channel served as a similar channel for other parts of the world. In the United Kingdom, Sky Kids offered similar content through Comcast's Sky division.
See also
In Spanish: Universal Kids para niños
- Peacock, a streaming service that hosts some Universal Kids content.
- DreamWorksTV
