Sprout (formerly PBS Kids Sprout) was an independent 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.
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 intially 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 (part of Disney-ABC) and Nick Jr. (part of ViacomCBS), 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. Network president Deirdre Brennan claimed that Universal Kids' new programming would be renowned from its competitors, stating that "we're offering 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. We have great [shows] for the preschoolers, which is important, but we needed to grow up with the rest of the family." Universal Kids will initially focus on acquired programs and unscripted series (such as Top Chef Junior, a spin-off of the Bravo reality franchise Top Chef), with plans for scripted original programming in the future. NBCUniversal intended to make "significant" investments in original content for Universal Kids over the next three years. The launch lineup included a large number of international acquisitions, particularly from the U.K., Australia, and Canada; 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.
Programming
Barney with various characters of Sprout programming.
Final programming
Original programming
| Title | Premiere date |
|---|---|
| Astroblast! | July 12, 2014 |
| Ruff-Ruff, Tweet and Dave | February 14, 2015 |
| Super Wings | March 14, 2015 |
| Clangers | June 20, 2015 |
| Nina's World | September 26, 2015 |
| Floogals | January 23, 2016 |
| Terrific Trucks | July 9, 2016 |
| Noddy, Toyland Detective | September 3, 2016 |
| Dot. | October 22, 2016 |
| The Ollie & Moon Show | May 27, 2017 |
| Kody Kapow | July 15, 2017 |
| School of Roars | August 12, 2017 |
| Snug's House | August 19, 2017 |
Acquired programming
| Title | Premiere date |
|---|---|
| The Jungle Bunch | March 19, 2016 |
| The Doozers | May 28, 2016 |
| The Furchester Hotel | September 26, 2016 |
| Topsy and Tim | June 17, 2017 |
| Ranger Rob | July 8, 2017 |
| Maya the Bee | September 26, 2015 |
| Sydney Sailboat | |
| YaYa and Zouk | February 20, 2016 |
| Chloe's Closet | July 12, 2010 |
| Sarah and Duck | August 19, 2013 |
| Zou | September 2, 2013 |
| Stella and Sam | November 1, 2013 |
| Zerby Derby | March 1, 2014 |
| Lily's Driftwood Bay | May 12, 2014 |
| The Wiggles | August 24, 2009 |
| Space Racers | October 31, 2016 |
| Caillou | September 26, 2005 |
Former programming
Original programming
| Title | Premiere date | End date |
|---|---|---|
| The Many Adventures of Mr. Mailman | July 3, 2006 | July 3, 2010 |
| Pajanimals | November 3, 2008 | March 8, 2013 |
| Noodle and Doodle | September 25, 2010 | March 9, 2013 |
| The Chica Show | November 19, 2012 | May 10, 2015 |
| Sing It, Laurie! | March 25, 2013 | 2015 |
Acquired programming
Animated
| Title | Premiere date | End date |
|---|---|---|
| The Three Friends and Jerry[13] | 2005 | 2006 |
Barney alongside Chica, from The Sunny Side Up Show.
Preschool
| Title | Premiere date | End date |
|---|---|---|
| Pingu | September 26, 2005 | April 14, 2010 |
| Fireman Sam | July 6, 2014 | |
| Big Sister, Little Brother | August 18, 2009 | |
| Kipper | July 26, 2015 | |
| The Hoobs | December 25, 2006 | February 13, 2009 |
| Play with Me Sesame | September 26, 2007 | May 14, 2016 |
| Fifi and the Flowertots | January 14, 2008 | February 23, 2014 |
| Panwapa | January 19, 2008 | August 6, 2009 |
| Pic Me | May 5, 2008 | May 5, 2011 |
| Dive, Olly, Dive! | June 7, 2008 | August 10, 2014 |
| Frances | June 20, 2008 | October 1, 2009 |
| Roary the Racing Car | September 26, 2008 | July 7, 2012 |
| The Mighty Jungle | April 24, 2009 | June 19, 2015 |
| Rubbadubbers | August 20, 2009 | November 6, 2011 |
| Dirtgirlworld | April 22, 2010 | November 6, 2012 |
| Nina's Little Fables | June 28, 2010 | December 9, 2013 |
| Monkey See, Monkey Do | August 24, 2010 | August 18, 2013 |
| Driver Dan's Story Train | November 1, 2010 | October 31, 2013 |
| What's Your News? | December 31, 2010 | February 23, 2014 |
| LazyTown | September 5, 2011 | September 26, 2016 |
| Poppy Cat | November 7, 2011 | |
| Justin Time | April 22, 2012 | June 19, 2015 |
| 64 Zoo Lane | August 27, 2012 | July 26, 2015 |
| Olive the Ostrich | ||
| Wibbly Pig | ||
| Tree Fu Tom | April 22, 2013 | September 26, 2016 |
| Earth to Luna! | August 16, 2014 | September 26, 2016 |
| Boj | October 11, 2014 | |
| Little People | March 7, 2016 | February 23, 2017 |
Programming from PBS Kids
| Title | Premiere date | End date |
|---|---|---|
| Boohbah | September 26, 2005 | December 19, 2009 |
| Jay Jay the Jet Plane | July 3, 2009 | |
| Bob the Builder | July 7, 2019 | |
| Barney & Friends | September 26, 2015 | |
| Dragon Tales | August 31, 2010 | |
| Thomas & Friends | July 26, 2015 | |
| Make Way for Noddy | ||
| Sesame Street | ||
| The Berenstain Bears[14] | September 9, 2017 | |
| Teletubbies | September 5, 2009 | |
| Angelina Ballerina | July 26, 2015 | |
| Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat | March 16, 2009 | |
| Zoboomafoo | July 7, 2011 | |
| Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks | March 31, 2009 | |
| Franny's Feet | July 4, 2008 | August 18, 2013 |
| Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies | January 26, 2009 | October 24, 2012 |
| Super Why! | March 21, 2011 | September 26, 2015 |
| Sid the Science Kid | March 25, 2013 | October 3, 2014 |
Blocks
The programming blocks below were all shown under the Sprout banner.
| Title | Premiere date | End date |
|---|---|---|
| The Birthday Show | September 26, 2005 | May 12, 2009 |
| The Good Night Show | March 31, 2017 | |
| Sprout Diner | September 18, 2006 | September 20, 2008 |
| Sprout Sharing Show | May 21, 2007 | May 11, 2014 |
| The Let's Go Show | June 25, 2007 | September 24, 2010 |
| Musical Mornings with Coo | September 26, 2007 | August 21, 2009 |
| The Sunny Side Up Show | August 11, 2017 | |
| Sprout's Snooze-a-Thon | December 24, 2007 | December 25, 2015 |
| Wiggly Waffle | August 24, 2009 | March 22, 2013 |
| The Super Sproutlet Show | February 14, 2012 | June 19, 2015 |
| Family Movie Night | September 26, 2015 | September 8, 2017 |
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.
Broadcast
- 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.[15]
- March 21, 2011: Season ten episodes are added.
- August 2011: Episodes from seasons one through six are removed from the channel.
- October 2011: Season eleven and twelve episodes are added.
- December 13, 2011: Barney's Christmas Star re-airs on the channel.[16]
- 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.
- 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.[17]
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
- 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.
- 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.
Gallery
Public appearances
Sprout Launch Party
The Sunny Side Up Show
Website
Trivia
- Season 14 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.[18]
- The clip of Barney calling Bean in the Sprout Diner episode was taken from the episode, "Pennies, Nickels, Dimes".
Videos
Advertisements
References
- ↑ Governor Cuomo Announces that NBCUniversal’s Sprout – the First 24-Hour Preschool Network – will Relocate to New York City
- ↑ Sprout Executives Bios | Press Room | PBS KIDS Sprout
- ↑ "List of how many homes each cable network is in as of February 2015"
- ↑ | All Things Joyce Slocum
- ↑ | Comcast, HIT Entertainment, PBS and Sesame Workshop Announce Plans to Launch Ground-Breaking 24-hour Preschool Children's Television Channel
- ↑ | Sprout launch party | Flickr
- ↑ | Sprout channel to launch on Comcast September 1
- ↑ Mattel announces acquisition of HIT Entertainment
- ↑ NBCUniversal Takes Full Ownership of Sprout Cable Network
- ↑ NBCUniversal Acquires Full Ownership of Kids' Channel Sprout
- ↑ In Brand Refresh, Children's TV Network Drops Barney and Thomas for Original Shows
- ↑ NBCUniversal Takes Full Ownership of Sprout Cable Network
- ↑ https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sprout-demand-launches-comcast
- ↑ TV Listings
- ↑ Sprout® Celebrates the Holidays with Sesame Street®'s Elmo and Special Holiday-Themed Movies Starring Caillou®, Barney(TM) The Dinosaur and More
- ↑ Sprout® Celebrates the Holidays with Sesame Street®'s Elmo, Special Holiday-themed Movies and the Annual Snooze-a-Thon
- ↑ In Brand Refresh, Children's TV Network Drops Barney and Thomas for Original Shows
- ↑ Activities for Children | PBS KIDS Sprout | Yoga | The Good Night Show
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