Sprout (formerly PBS Kids Sprout) is an American digital cable and satellite television network that was originally spun-off from the children's programming block, PBS Kids. During its final years, it was solely owned by the NBCUniversal Cable subsidiary of NBCUniversal which is owned by Comcast. The channel launched on September 26, 2005 and primarily targeted preschoolers. Its lineup featured a mix of originally-produced programming, along with acquired programming.
Sprout was originally formed by Comcast in conjunction with Sesame Workshop, PBS and HIT Entertainment. Sprout was available on many major cable networks, as well as DirectTV. Featuring a complimentary video-on-demand (VOD) service and website, Sprout replaced the PBS Kids Channel that originally was available prior to the channel's debut. Sprout was available to approximately 58 million pay television households (49.8% of households with television) in the United States.[3]
Apax Partners, the former owners of HIT Entertainment, sold their share of the network in 2013. Mattel, the current owners of HIT Entertainment, did not take said share when it bought the company a year earlier. Sesame Workshop and PBS followed suit, giving NBC Universal full control of the network. The channel eventually was rebranded to Universal Kids as a result of Comcast gaining full control.
PBS Kids Sprout from 2005 to 2013.
History[]
"A lot happens when you Sprout" ad
Origins[]
The origins of the channel emerged in early 2004 during an executive meeting in New York City. Joyce D. Slocum, who worked for HIT Entertainment at the time, and another company executive were discussing the difficulty for producers like HIT to find distribution platforms when companies such as Disney and Nickelodeon did both and had incentives to air their own shows. It was concluded that if there were channels that stuck to one topic, such as golf, then there should be a market for children's programming. Soon HIT executives approached PBS, which had been considering the same idea. At this time, PBS had an unsuccessful PBS Kids channel. Both HIT and PBS soon approached Comcast about starting a 24/7 children's channel with Sesame Workshop eventually joining. Negotiations for the channel took more than a year. Among the sticking points was whether to air commercials. Because PBS is a nonprofit organization that is also noncommercial, it airs only short spots identifying program underwriters before and after shows. Comcast, on the other hand, is a for-profit company that sells ads. The parties eventually compromised: allow commercials to bookend but not interrupt shows, and the advertisements are required to be targeted at parents, not children.[4] The announcement of the channel and partnerships were made on October 20, 2004.[5]
HIT characters, including Barney, Angelina Ballerina and Bob the Builder, appearing at the Sprout Launch Party in 2005, among other guests.
Promotion and Launch[]
When the (original) PBS Kids channel was shutdown, some PBS affiliated stations helped to promote the newly announced PBS Kids Sprout, with some affiliates replacing the PBS Kids channel for Sprout later down the line. A launch party for PBS Kids Sprout was held at Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco, California on April 4, 2005.[6] During this same month, Sprout launched PBS KIDS Sprout On Demand, a video-on-demand (VOD) service which debuted on Comcast ahead of the twenty-four hour digital cable channel that would launch in the fall.[7] The digital cable channel was initially scheduled to release on September 1, 2005, but was delayed to September 26, 2005.
Barney with Sandy Wax, the former president of Sprout.
Ownership change[]
Comcast acquired a 51% majority stake of the NBCUniversal in January 2011 (and would assume full ownership of the company on March 19, 2013). As a result, Comcast's interest in Sprout was turned over to NBCUniversal. When Apax Partners sold HIT Entertainment to Mattel on October 24, 2011, HIT's ownership interest in Sprout was not included in the deal and was retained by Apax Partners.[8] On November 13, 2013, NBCUniversal acquired Apax and PBS's shares in the network, giving the company full ownership of the network, with its operations being merged into its NBCUniversal Cable subsidiary.[9] As a result, the "PBS Kids" branding was dropped from the network's name, renaming it as Sprout.[10] The channel eventually moved its headquarters from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, New York City, NY.
On Sprout's 10th anniversary on September 26, 2015, the network received a rebrand and shifted focus towards original shows, such as Nina's World, and removed older acquired shows such as Barney & Friends. Only two shows that have been on the channel since its launch, Caillou and The Berenstain Bears, remained on the network. Caillou continued to air on the network until March 31, 2019, while The Berenstain Bears continued to air on the network until the channel rebranded into Universal Kids. Under NBCUniversal ownership, the channel began to shift away from its original focus on library content, and invested more heavily in original programming to displace older, licensed content to better compete with fellow preschool-oriented pay-TV networks Disney Junior and Nick Jr., which in turn was also partially made by Sesame Workshop. Under NBCUniversal, programs seen on the network such as The Chica Show earned increased visibility airing on NBC as part of the NBC Kids block.[11][12]
Universal Kids[]
Universal Kids billboard featuring many characters on the channel, including Barney.
Main Article: Universal Kids
On May 1, 2017, NBCUniversal announced that Sprout would rebrand as Universal Kids on September 9, 2017. With the rebranding, the network revamped its evening and primetime programming to aim preteens aged 8–12. Universal Kids continues to broadcast preschool programming, initially retaining the Sprout brand, occupying fifteen hours per-day of programming from 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. LT.
The Sprout name and branding was still seen during preschool-oriented programming during daytime hours. As of January 26, 2018 (according to Wayback Machine.), the Sprout name was completely removed and the name branding was no longer used on the channel.
Barney & Friends[]
Barney & Friends was one of the initial shows on Sprout when it first aired, along with favorites like Sesame Street and Bob the Builder. The show lasted on the channel until September 2015, making it one of Sprout's longest lasting programs.
Banner
Barney with various characters of Sprout programming.
Broadcast[]
- September 26, 2005: Barney & Friends becomes one of the launch shows for Sprout, with episodes from seasons four through eight initially shown.
- September 27, 2007: Seasons one, two and three are added to the channel.
- April 2, 2008: Season nine episodes are added.
- December 10, 2010: Barney's Christmas Star airs.
- December 24, 2010: Barney's Night Before Christmas airs during Elmo's Movie Merry-thon.[13]
- March 21, 2011: Season ten episodes are added.
- August 7, 2011: Episodes from seasons one through six are removed from the channel.
- October 3, 2011: Season eleven and twelve episodes are added.
- December 13, 2011: Barney's Christmas Star re-airs on the channel.[14]
- 2011: A clip of BJ, Riff and Baby Bop sleeping, from the episode "Days of the Week" was one of many clips broadcasted during Sprout's Snooze-a-Thon.
- May 21, 2012: Season thirteen episodes are added.
- 2013: A clip of BJ, Riff and Baby Bop sleeping, from the episode "Days of the Week" was one of many clips broadcasted during a re-airing of Sprout's Snooze-a-Thon.
- September 26, 2015: Barney & Friends is removed from the Sprout schedule, along with other HIT Entertainment properties, in order for original shows on its network.[15]
Release[]
- "Litterbot" was included in Lend a Helping Hand,
- "Home Safe Home" was included in Safety First.
Appearances[]
Television[]
- 2005: Barney hosted a Thanksgiving marathon, presenting a six hour block of Barney & Friends episodes.
- 2006: Barney appears on the Sprout Diner block. In honor of the character, Barney's Purple Hummus Dip was created.
- 2007: Barney appears on The Sunny Side Up Show for Thanksgiving with Nina from The Goodnight Show and Chica.
- 2009: Barney appears on The Sunny Side Up Show for Valentine's Day with Sean Roach and Chica.
- February 14, 2010: Barney co-hosts Sprout's Dino-Mite Valentine's Sing Along, along with Dorothy the Dinosaur from The Wiggles.
- August 17 & 18, 2010: Barney appears on The Sunny Side Up Show with Kelly Vrooman and Chica to promote "Dinosaurs" week.
- March 31, 2011: Riff appears on The Sunny Side Up Show with Liz Filios and Chica for "Friends" week in honor of season ten of episodes of Barney & Friends premiering on Sprout.
- November 22, 2011: Barney appears on The Sunny Side Up Show for Sprout's "Thanks for Giving" week. During this appearance calls were received from Sproutlets who have been doing something kind.
Public[]
Barney alongside Chica, from The Sunny Side Up Show.
- 2008-2010: Barney tours with Chica, along with some hosts from The Sunny Side Up Show for "Barney's Sprouterrific Playdate".
- 2010: A Sprout's Birthday Sweepstakes was held. The winner would have Barney, Chica, and a host from The Sunny Side Up Show come to his or her birthday party.
- May 24, 2011: Barney appears at the "Go Healthy Step-A-Thon" in Times Square in New York City, New York with Chica and Kelly from Sprout's Sunny Side Up Show in honor of NBCUniversal's Second Annual "Healthy Week". At 10AM, Barney, Chica and Kelly greeted entrants. At 2PM, Chica and Kelly showed children and parents how to stretch and play a fun game of follow the leader. Barney then lead a game of Simon Says.[16]
- June 15, 2011: Barney, and Chica from The Sunny Side Up show, attend the NBC Universal VIP party during the Cable Show 2011 at Privet Nightclub and Lounge in Chicago, Illinois.
- November 21, 2011: From 9AM-1PM, Barney appeared at the Comcast Center Market in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with Chica and Kelly from Sprout's Sunny Side Up Show in honor of Sprout’s Kindness Counts event. The event also encouraged participants to give back by dropping off non-perishable food items to help support Philabundance.
Gallery[]
Public appearances[]
Sprout Launch Party[]
The Sunny Side Up Show[]
Website[]
Trivia[]
- Season fourteen is the only season of Barney & Friends to not get broadcasted on the network.
- Nina and the kids once did "Barney's Pretend Flying Stretch" on The Good Night Show. This segment aired during the dinosaurs blockisode.[17]
- The clip of Barney calling Bean in the Sprout Diner episode was taken from the episode, "Pennies, Nickels, Dimes".
- The Barney Says and the Barney... A Helping Hand for Growing Children closing segments have frequently been shown during reruns. However, the Let's Play with Barney, Barney Says and Barney's Travel Book segments were the only two to not be shown although they were formerly aired on the PBS children's network, PBS Kids.
Videos[]
Advertisements[]
References[]
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