Universal Kids

Universal Kids
	Second Universal Kids logo used since 2019
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 (2005–2013); Apax Partners (2005–2012); Mattel (2012-2013); NBCUniversal (Comcast) (2013–present)
Parent	NBCUniversal Media Group
Sister channels	List CNBC; E!; MSNBC; NBC; Bravo; Oxygen; USA Network; Syfy; Telemundo; ;
History
Launched	September 26, 2005
Replaced	PBS Kids Channel (original incarnation from 1999-2005)
Former names	PBS Kids Sprout (September 26, 2005–November 12, 2013); Sprout (September 21, 2009–September 9, 2017);
Links
Website	www.universalkids.com
Availability
Streaming media
Streaming Services	FuboTV, YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, DirecTV Stream
ClaroTV+;	(requires subscription to access content)

Universal Kids is an American children's television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of NBCUniversal, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast.

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. After the acquisition of NBCUniversal by Comcast in 2011, the company began to buy out the remaining owners' shares in the network. NBCUniversal became the sole owner of the network in 2013, after which it was renamed Sprout. Under NBCUniversal ownership, the channel increased its investments into original programming.

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. The channel continues to devote its daytime lineup to preschool programming.

Amid 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). Its remaining first-run programming moved to NBCUniversal's streaming service Peacock.

As of September 2018^[update], the channel is available to about 56.240 million households in the United States.^[1]

^ Bucholtz, Andrew (2018-09-10). "Nielsen coverage estimates for September see gains at ESPN networks, NBCSN, and NBA TV, drops at MLBN and NFLN". Awful Announcing. Archived from the original on August 19, 2019. Retrieved July 28, 2019.

[Nielsen-estimates-1] Bucholtz, Andrew (2018-09-10). "Nielsen coverage estimates for September see gains at ESPN networks, NBCSN, and NBA TV, drops at MLBN and NFLN". Awful Announcing. Archived from the original on August 19, 2019. Retrieved July 28, 2019.

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