Sprout (TV network)
| Sprout | |
|---|---|
The current logo since December 13, 2013.
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| Launched | April 4, 2005 (as Comcast video on demand folder) September 26, 2005 (as PBS Kids Sprout television channel) |
| Owned by | NBCUniversal Cable |
| Picture format |
1080i (HDTV) (480i center cut for SDTV feeds) |
| Slogan |
Let's Grow (2005–15) Free to Grow (2015–present) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Headquarters | Comcast Building, Rockefeller Center, New York City |
| Formerly called | PBS Kids Sprout (2005-13) |
| Replaced | PBS Kids channel (on most providers) |
| Sister channel(s) |
NBC Syfy USA Network Universal HD Oxygen E! Chiller The Weather Channel MSNBC CNBC Bravo Esquire Network NBCSN |
| Website | Official website |
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Availability
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| Satellite | |
| DirecTV | Channel 295 (SD/HD) |
| C-Band | AMC 11 - Channel 55 (4DTV Digital) AMC 18 - Channel 55 (H2H 4DTV) |
| Dish Network | TBA (SD/HD) |
| Cable | |
| Time Warner Cable | 255 (HD) |
| IPTV | |
| AT&T U-verse | 337 (SD) 1337 (HD) |
| Verizon FiOS | 263 (SD) |
| Google Fiber | Check local listings for channels |
| Streaming media | |
| PlayStation Vue | Internet Protocol television |
Sprout (formerly PBS Kids Sprout) is an independent American digital cable and satellite television network that is owned by the NBCUniversal Cable subsidiary of NBCUniversal, all owned by Comcast. Sprout replaced the PBS Kids channel on some cable and satellite providers. The network, which also maintains a complimentary video-on-demand (VOD) service and website, features a mix of preschooler-oriented children's programs acquired from the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and original programming exclusive to the network. The network's live programming and wraparound segments are produced at NBC Studios at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. The channel's operations relocated from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to New York City in 2014.
As of January 2016, Sprout is available to approximately 56 million pay television households (48.2% of households with television) in the United States.
Sprout traces its origins to the PBS Kids network (referred to as PBS Kids Channel in press materials), which launched on September 6, 1999 coinciding with PBS Kids' rebrand that day. The PBS Kids feed was available on digital cable and satellite television, and was also offered to PBS member stations for use on a "cablecast" service (a cable-only local channel provided by the member station) or for use on the member station's over-the-air analog channel to provide a portion of the daytime PBS Kids programming on the station. Participating stations were required to pay an annual fee of $1,000 to use the feed. At launch, 32 PBS member stations had signed up to use the service. The channel was created, in part, to compete against Nick Jr. and its sister network Noggin (which now shares its name with the Nick Jr. block). Because the cable rights to the Children's Television Workshop's program library were owned by Noggin (which CTW owned a 50% interest in at the time), the channel did not broadcast any CTW programming, including Sesame Street, a long staple of PBS' children's programming lineup. The CTW-produced Dragon Tales, which premiered on the same day as the launch of the PBS Kids Channel, was the only exception to this.
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