
NBCUniversal Shuts Down Kid-Centered Cable Channel
By Movieguide® Contributor
Universal Kids will shut down on March 6, making it the latest casualty in children’s entertainment as new players dominate the industry.
Universal Kids launched in 2005 as PBS Kids Sprout, an offshoot of PBS Kids aimed at younger children. After multiple rebrands and refocuses, the channel was renamed Universal Kids in 2017 with the network providing kid-centric versions of popular shows, such as AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR JUNIOR and TOP CHEF JUNIOR. In 2019, the network introduced multiple animated shows after NBCUniversal purchased Dreamworks Studios.
Last year, however, the network averaged 20,000 viewers during its primetime slots, a 5% decrease from 2023. Thus, rather than continuing to fund a sinking ship, NBCUniversal has called it quits on Universal Kids.
“NBCUniversal remains committed to family entertainment, including award-winning brands Illumination and Dreamworks Animation, as well as kids-focused programming on Peacock,” the company said in a statement after the shutdown was announced.
Universal Kids isn’t the only kid-focused program recently shut down. Last year, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon shuttered their streaming platforms, Boomerang and Noggin, due to unprofitability; their networks, however, remain on air.
READ MORE: IS YOUTUBE RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE INDUSTRY CHANGES?
The struggles of these titans in children’s entertainment come from the rise of new media. YouTube has a staggering dominance in children’s entertainment, followed by Netflix — which has acquired many of its kid-centric IP from YouTube. A show like COCOMELON, which is available on both YouTube and Netflix, has nearly 200 billion views on YouTube.
The Streamable said last August after Boomerang and Noggin shut down that YouTube’s rise in popularity with younger people “may have helped decision-makers at Hollywood’s biggest legacy media companies to feel better about letting go of their kids’ streaming services.”
READ MORE: HOW GEN ALPHA IS CHANGING THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY