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NBC Kids
NBC Kids
Network Telemundo

NBC

Launched July 7, 2012; 10 years ago November 13, 2023
Ended September 25, 2016; 6 years ago
Country of origin United States
Format Defunct Saturday morning pre-school block
Running time 3 hours (10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.)
Website nbc.com/nbc-kids (Archive link)

nbc.com/general/pages/nbc-kids (Archive link)

NBC Kids is a former American children's programming block that debuted on Telemundo from July 7, 2012 to September 25, 2016. The last show that was aired on the block was Noodle and Doodle at 12:30 p.m. It replaced the Qubo block (as a result of NBCUniversal dropping out of the joint venture, which also included Ion Media Networks), was programmed by the other Sprout preschool cable network, as they were both targeted at children ages 2 to 6.

The three-hour block featured educational entertainment series for younger children, which met programming requirements defined by the Federal Communications Commission's Children's Television Act. All NBC Kids programs featured Descriptive Video Service on the second audio program channel for the visually impaired, with access depending on the local Telemundo affiliate.

The block came to an end on September 25, 2016, and was replaced the following week with a live-action E/I block from Litton Entertainment named The More You Know, marking the end of traditional Saturday morning children's programming on broadcast television.

History

On March 28, 2012, NBC announced that the three-hour children's programming time period allocated by the network on Saturday mornings would be taken over by Sprout (which had become a sister television property to NBC following parent company NBCUniversal's 2010 majority purchase by Comcast; NBC later took full ownership of the network, whose owners previously included Sesame Workshop and HIT Entertainment) and launch a new Saturday morning block called NBC Kids, which is aimed at preschoolers and grade school-aged children ages 2 to 6. Sprout also produced a Spanish-language sister block for MiTelemundo known as NBC.

NBC Kids debuted on July 7, 2012, one week after the Qubo block ended its run on both NBC and Telemundo on June 30 (leaving Ion Television as the only network to retain a Qubo-branded children's block, as Ion Media Networks is now sole owner of the Qubo properties including the flagship Qubo Channel television service).

On February 24, 2016, NBCUniversal announced that NBC Kids would be discontinued and replaced on October 1, 2016 by NBC Kids, a block produced by Litton Entertainment that would feature live-action documentary and lifestyle programs aimed at pre-teens and teenagers, similarly to a block also introduced by Litton for CBS co-owned CW the previous 2 years. The move came as part of a shift by broadcast television networks towards using their Saturday morning lineup solely to comply with the educational programming requirements. NBC Kids aired for the final time on September 25, 2016; it was the last weekend morning block across the major U.S. commercial broadcast networks that featured programs for preschoolers. Such content has shifted towards cable networks and online video on demand services for cartoons and other youth-oriented live-action programming due to those platform's less-onerous regulations for children's content.

Revival

On November 12, 2023, Telemundo announced that the three-hour children's programming time period allocated by the network on Saturday mornings would be taken over by Nickelodeon.

Programming

  • Raggs (2 January 2006-18 February 2009)
  • Jay Jay the Jet Plane (December 13, 1994-November 25, 2005)
  • The Chica Show (February 2, 2013–September 25, 2016)
  • Nina's World (January 2, 2016–September 25, 2016)
  • Noodle and Doodle (July 7, 2012–September 25, 2016)
  • Terrific Trucks (July 9, 2016–September 25, 2016)
  • Zou (April 5, 2014–September 28, 2014)
  • LazyTown (July 7, 2012–March 27, 2016)
  • The Magic School Bus (September 10, 1994-December 2, 1995)
  • Justin Time (September 22, 2011-January 17, 2014
  • Pajanimals (July 7, 2012–January 26, 2014)
  • Poppy Cat (July 7, 2012–June 1, 2013; October 4, 2014–September 27, 2015)
  • The Wiggles (July 7, 2012–February 2, 2013)
  • Maya the Bee (1 February 2012-August 23, 2017)
  • Yo Gabba Gabba! (August 20, 2007-October 16, 2011)
  • The Religetables (November 16th 2002-Present)

Gallery

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