 |
 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) |
| Parent | NBCUniversal Media Group |
| Sister channels | |
| History | |
| Launched | September 26, 2005 |
| Replaced | PBS Kids Channel (original incarnation from 1999-2005) |
| Former names |
|
| Links | |
| Website | www |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| Streaming Services | FuboTV, YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, DirecTV Stream |
| ClaroTV+ | (requires subscription to access content) |
Universal Kids (stylized as UNIVERSAL KiDS since 2019, formerly PBS Kids Sprout from 2005 to 2009, but then without the “PBS Kids” just remaining Sprout since 2009) 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 bought 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 prime time 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 October 2023[update], the channel is available to about 47.232 million households in the United States.