PBS Kids (stylized as PBS KIDS) is the brand for most[note 1] of the children's programming aired by PBS in the United States. The target audience is children between the ages of 2 and 8.[2] PBS Kids brand programming is aired daily on most local PBS stations during a daytime block, typically scheduled in the morning hours, in addition to a separate 24/7 channel (sometimes called the PBS Kids Channel or PBS Kids 24/7). Both the block and 24/7 service are broadcast over the air, via cable and satellite providers and on streaming platforms. Select programming is also available internationally.[3]
History
PTV block
PBS had historically aired programs for children such as Sesame Street, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and Reading Rainbow; prior to 1993, these programs aired under general PBS branding. In August 1993, PBS introduced new branding for their children's programs featuring the "P-Pals", animated characters shaped like the PBS "P-head" logo who encouraged skills such as gathering information, self-esteem, cooperation and achieving goals in specially-developed interstitials.
The framework for PBS Kids was established as part of PBS' "Ready to Learn" initiative, a project intended to facilitate access of early childhood educational programming to underprivileged children.[4] On July 11, 1994, PBS repackaged their existing children's educational programming as a new block titled "PTV", airing on 11 member stations at launch.[5][6] In addition to scheduled educational programming, PTV also incorporated interstitial content with the P-Pals in their fictional world "PTV Park" for younger children.[5] Older children were targeted with live-action and music video interstitials.[5]
Apple Computer provided a $1.5 million grant to PTV and became its first national underwriter on June 26, 1995, as part of their "Bring Learning Home" corporate initiative.[7] A "Ready To Learn" grant unveiled on January 8, 1996, supported the development of Dragon Tales and Between the Lions, which premiered in 1999 and 2000, respectively, as well as their online activities and outreach efforts.[8] By September 1996, 95 PBS stations reaching three quarters of the United States were carrying the PTV service.[9] Starting on October 7, 1996, PBS packaged their programs for school-aged children into the block The Game, airing on 31 stations by the end of the year.
PBS Kids
On January 18, 1999, PBS announced that it would launch the PBS Kids Channel, meant to be the centerpiece of a larger initiative, in September.[10] On June 9, PBS revealed a wide rebranding of its children's programs and services, known as PBS Kids, at its annual meeting in San Francisco. PBS would also increase its children's programming budget by 25% and commit to two new series: Caillou and Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series.[11]
The rebranding to "PBS Kids" first took effect on September 6, 1999, when PBS launched the 24-hour PBS Kids Channel.[12] The new PBS Kids branding elements began rolling out on PBS stations in October; PBS provided grants to stations who adopted the new branding early. Brand designers incorporated a thought bubble concept across the brand packaging, intended to associate "imagination, thinking and using your head" with PBS Kids.[12] Included with the new on-air appearance was a bright green logo featuring iconic boy and girl mascot characters Dash and Dot. The PBS Kids website was relaunched with some new areas on February 1, 2000.[13]
The PBS Kids Channel was shut down on September 26, 2005, in favor of a new commercial cable and satellite joint venture channel, PBS Kids Sprout. However, the PBS Kids block continued on the PBS daytime schedule.
One year prior to the launch of PBS Kids Sprout, PBS developed PBS Kids Go!, a sub-brand of PBS Kids, which debuted in October 2004. This programming block was directed at the oldest subset of the existing PBS Kids demographic (generally ages 6 to 8). This spurred plans for a new 24/7 service, which PBS offered as a replacement early school-aged kids network by April 2006. The PBS Kids Go! Channel was intended to be launched in October 2006,[14] but was later cancelled before launch.[15] Amid 2011 research which revealed that the PBS Kids brand was more recognizable than PBS Kids Go!, and ratings which showed preschoolers and school-age children watching each other's shows, PBS Kids received another graphic redesign and the PBS Kids Go! branding was dissolved on October 7, 2013, coinciding with the debut of Peg + Cat.[16]
PBS revived the PBS Kids Channel on January 16, 2017, this time being structured as a multi-platform service with an online livestream of the channel on the PBS Kids website and video app, in addition to utilizing largely the same distribution methods that had been used for the original channel.[17] At the time of launch, no changes were made to the main PBS Kids block on PBS. The block is counter programmed from the channel, thus the same show would not be shown at the same time on the channel and block.[18][19][20]
In November 2020, PBS Kids, in association with the main PBS service, became the terrestrial television home of select specials from the Peanuts animated library, under a sub-licensing agreement with Apple TV+.[21] The agreement allowed both PBS and the PBS Kids Channel to air It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and A Charlie Brown Christmas over the air, once per year. After the 2021 holiday season, the agreement with PBS ended, and since then, the Peanuts specials have not aired on American broadcast television.[22]
Former logo used before re-branding in 2022, this logo was first introduced in 1999; shown here is the 2009 version with former mascot Dash in it
On July 19, 2022, PBS Kids introduced a new brand identity by Lippincott; the rebranding incorporates aspects of the current PBS branding also developed by Lippincott, changing its logo to an electric blue circle with a tweaked version of the existing PBS Kids wordmark (which was maintained in order to preserve brand recognition for younger viewers), set in green and white. The Dash mascot was discontinued (the Dot variant had already been discontinued by 2013), but supplanted by a new system of customizable cartoon characters seen in promos, which have customizable facial features, skin tones, and disability aids to reflect a diverse youth audience and how they portray themselves.[23]
In February 2023, a major shift in program scheduling reduced the duration of the daytime PBS Kids block on local PBS stations significantly.[24][25] Previously, the PBS Kids block encompassed a much larger portion of the daytime schedule, including both before- and after-school hours throughout the morning and afternoon. Many PBS stations had already begun transitioning to shorter morning blocks, but this change pushed nearly all stations to shorten their daytime children's schedules to morning hours only. PBS cited changes in viewing behaviors, and decided that it was advantageous to focus their children's programming in the mornings and cater to more general audiences in the afternoons, while continuing to grow their audience on the 24/7 kids service.[26]
Streaming and on-demand video
As online streaming began to increase in popularity, PBS launched the PBS Kids Go! video player on its website on September 8, 2008. This federally-funded, innovative video streaming platform featured video clips from a number of PBS Kids Go! shows which rotated on a weekly basis and linked to interactive online games.[27] The video player later expanded to include all PBS Kids programming, and the entire platform evolved into the PBS Kids Video app, which initially became publicly available for free on May 12, 2011.[28] The PBS Kids Video app is currently the primary source for free streaming of on-demand video clips and full episodes of PBS Kids programming. The app also features a free live stream of the 24/7 PBS Kids Channel.
On May 8, 2013, PBS Kids programming was added to the Roku streaming player.[29]
On July 1, 2016, Amazon Prime Video and PBS Distribution entered into a multi-year agreement which saw several PBS Kids series on other streaming services move to Amazon Prime Video.[30] The PBS Kids subscription allows families to stream nearly all PBS Kids programs currently broadcast on air; however, notable exceptions exist, namely Sesame Street, which streams on Max,[31] and Curious George, which streams on NBCUniversal's Peacock.[32] The PBS Kids add-on service also includes several retired series, such as Reading Rainbow, Kratts' Creatures, and It's a Big Big World.
A selection of PBS Kids brand programming is available outside of the United States through PBS Distribution, PBS International and GBH, who jointly offer a PBS Kids subscription channel and on-demand video services to international audiences.[35]
PBS Distribution partnered with Foxtel to launch PBS Kids on July 1, 2021, in Australia.[37] The channel was discontinued two years later on July 1, 2023.[38][39]
PBS Kids Family Night (April 21, 2017[40] – present) – an evening programming block airing encores of PBS Kids movies and specials, and themed mini-marathons, typically from 7 to 9 pm on Saturdays and Sundays[41] (formerly also on Fridays[42]). Exclusive to the 24/7 PBS Kids Channel.
Former
The Game (October 7, 1996 – September 6, 1999) – an afternoon programming block aimed at children ages 6 to 8. Aired on PTV.[43]
PBS Kids Bookworm Bunch (September 30, 2000 – September 5, 2004) – a Saturday morning block consisting of six animated series produced by the Canadian animation studio, Nelvana Limited.[44]
PBS Kids Go! (October 11, 2004 – October 7, 2013) – an afternoon programming block aimed at children ages 6 to 8.[14][16]
PBS Kids Preschool Block (September 4, 2006 – October 7, 2013) – a morning programming block aimed at preschoolers.[45][46]
Critical reception
PBS Kids programming has historically received generally positive reviews from television critics and parents of young children. L.A. Story (a division of Blogspot) wrote, "Great for any little explorer!"[47]Rob Owen of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote, "Best children's entertainment available".[48] Valerie Williams of Scary Mommy wrote, "A wonderful gift".[49] Steve Aquino of Forbes wrote, "Making learning accessible in the coronavirus age".[50]
The PBS Kids Channel (also known as PBS Kids 24/7) is an American digital broadcast and online television network operated by the Public Broadcasting Service. The network features a broad mix of live action and animated children's programs distributed to PBS by independent companies and select member stations, which are designed for improving the early literacy, math, and social-emotional skills of young children ages 3 to 9.[51] Some PBS member stations, most notably KLCS in Los Angeles and WDCQ-TV in Bad Axe, Michigan, maintain their own locally programmed PBS Kids feed that is independent from the nationally sourced feed.
The PBS Kids Channel has had two iterations in the age of digital television; one which existed between 1999 and 2005, and the current version which was launched in 2017.
Network history
Original channel (1999-2005)
On September 6, 1999, PBS launched a 24-hour PBS Kids network in several markets, in conjunction with the overall introduction of the PBS Kids brand to provide a unified branding for the service's children's programming offerings. The separate network (referred to as the PBS Kids Channel in press materials) was available on high-tier subscription providers, and was also offered to PBS member stations for use on a "cablecast" service (a subscription-based local channel provided by the member station) or for use on the member station's free-to-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. The channel was launched on over 30 PBS member stations with carriage methods ranging from a cable-only service, to a standard-definition digital subchannel, to analog simulcasts.[12] Additional affiliates would pick up the channel later throughout the fall and winter of 1999.[citation needed]
FCC requirements mandated satellite providers to set aside 4% of their available channel space for noncommercial educational and informational programming. With these providers limited to offering one such service per programmer, PBS had put forth PBS Kids as a prospective channel to fulfill this mandate.[52]
The channel was largely funded by satellite provider DirecTV.[53] It was partly created to compete against the Nick Jr. block and its sister network Noggin; at the time, Noggin was co-owned by the Children's Television Workshop (the production company behind Sesame Street) and Nickelodeon.[12][54] Because the pay-TV rights to the Children's Television Workshop's programs were owned by Noggin, the channel did not broadcast CTW programming, including longtime PBS staple Sesame Street, though an exception was made with the CTW-produced Dragon Tales (which premiered on the same day as the launch of the PBS Kids Channel).[citation needed]
The channel was unsuccessful and had only reached 9 million households as of 2002, compared to Noggin's 23.3 million households at the time.[55] In the aftermath of DirecTV's decision not to renew its funding agreement with the channel, which ended in the third quarter of 2005,[53] PBS decided to shut down the network on September 26 of that year.[failed verification] The PBS Kids Channel was effectively supplanted on that date by PBS Kids Sprout, an advertiser-supported cable and satellite channel that PBS developed in a joint venture with Sesame Workshop, HIT Entertainment and Comcast (the latter of which later bought full control of the network via NBCUniversal).[56]
PBS gave local stations an option to sign on PBS Kids Sprout promoters, providing them cross-promotional and monetary benefits in exchange for giving up the ability to carry a competing preschool-targeted channel. For example, PBS member station WBGU-TV aired promotional spots for PBS Kids Sprout during their PBS Kids daytime block,[57] thereby forfeiting their eligibility to air a children's channel locally. 80 stations, making up about half of the member stations participants, signed up to be promoters; most of the remaining stations opted to develop independent children's programming services featuring programs distributed by PBS and through outside distributors such as American Public Television to fill space on digital subchannels that formerly served as PBS Kids Channel members.[15] Many of the member stations that launched children's-focused subchannel or cable-only services reduced the amount of sourced programming from PBS Kids carried on their primary channel to a few hours of their weekday daytime schedules, in order to program more adult-targeted fare during the afternoon.[15]
Canceled replacement
The closure of the PBS Kids Channel left many local PBS stations with a vacancy on their multicast digital channel offerings, during a time when digital and high-definition broadcasts were increasing reach and gaining popularity. In April 2006, PBS announced plans for a replacement 24-hour digital multicast network called the PBS Kids Go! Channel. This would expand upon the afternoon PBS Kids Go! block on PBS, with additional new content and reruns of returning programs, such as HIT Entertainment's Wishbone and Kratts' Creatures. Other exclusive content for this channel would include a one-hour Spanish-language block called "PBS Kids Vayan!" (Spanish for "Go!", which would air select shows in Spanish with English subtitles), an evening "Go! Family" block, and an educational "Go! Figure" school block.[58][14]
The PBS Kids Go! Channel was originally set to launch in October 2006. However, stations found that the sliding scale licensing fees were too high for what little exclusive programming they would have received, especially after spending additional funds for the PBS HD feed. With only one-third of PBS stations initially committing to carry the new network, the plans for the channel were ultimately withdrawn.[59]
Revived channel (2017-present)
On February 23, 2016, PBS announced that the 24/7 PBS Kids Channel would be revived after 11 years.[60] PBS president and CEO Paula Kerger stated that during PBS's partnership with Comcast in their operations of Sprout, PBS had discovered the valuable position in children's programming during prime time.[61]
Originally set for a fall 2016 relaunch, the PBS Kids Channel was ultimately relaunched on January 16, 2017.[20] Structured as a multi-platform service, it was made available for distribution to digital subchannels of participating PBS member stations, initially launching on 73 member stations (counting those operated as subregional PBS member networks), with an additional 34 agreeing to begin carrying the network at a later date.[62] An online live stream of the PBS Kids Channel was also added to the PBS Kids website and video app upon the channel's debut, allowing viewers to toggle from the program being aired to a related educational game extending the interactivity introduced by Sesame Street. The free online livestream also allows viewers to access the 24/7 channel even in areas where some local PBS stations, such as WUFT in Gainesville, Florida and WEIU-TV in Charleston, Illinois, do not carry it on its subchannels. The PBS Kids Channel is also available on both DirecTV and DirecTV Stream on channel 288.[63]
The PBS Kids Channel is counterprogrammed from the PBS Kids block on PBS, so that the same program would not be shown on either simultaneously. It mainly features double-runs of existing series on PBS Kids' schedule (including some not carried on the primary channels of certain member stations); as such, no additional programs had to be acquired to help fill the channel's schedule.[18] On April 21, 2017, the channel launched "PBS Kids Family Night," a weekly block on Friday evenings (with encore airings on Saturday and Sunday evenings) that showcase themed programming, premieres or special "movie-length" episodes of new and existing PBS Kids children's programs.[51][20][18][64]
^Some public television children's programs are not produced by PBS member stations or transmitted by PBS. Instead, they are produced by independent public television distributors such as American Public Television, and are therefore not labeled as "PBS Kids" programming, as it is mainly a programming block branding.[1]
^"Linear Channels". PBS Distribution. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
^Chozick, Amy (January 1, 2012). "PBS Takes On the Premium Channels". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 16, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2015. PBS Kids ... was originally created for underprivileged young viewers who lacked access to early-childhood education.
^"PBS Retro - The Roku Channel". Roku. Retrieved April 24, 2024. Watch classic PBS shows for kids 24/7 – from Reading Rainbow to Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood!
^Behrens, Steve; Bedford, Karen Everhart (December 13, 1999). "DirecTV okays channels from PBS and ITVS". Current. American University School of Communication. Archived from the original on February 22, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
^Katz, Richard (September 2, 1999). "PBS launches kids network". Variety. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
^Everhart, Karen (September 2, 2002). "Sesame quits Noggin network". Current.org. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
^Newman, Deirdre (January 16, 2017). "PBS Starts Kids Channel Streaming". Orange County Business Journal. Archived from the original on February 25, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
^Kehoe, Katrina (March 6, 2017). "KLRN launches 24/7 PBS KIDS Channel". KLRN.org. Alamo Public Telecommunications Council. Archived from the original on April 9, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
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