PBS KIDS SproutSM (SproutOnline.com) the first
24-hour preschool destination available on TV, on demand and online
for kids ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers, was created as
a partnership among Comcast Corporation, the country's leading
provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and
services; HIT Entertainment, a leading provider of quality
entertainment for young children; PBS (Public Broadcasting
Service), the most trusted distributor of award-winning children's
programming; and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational
organization behind Sesame
Street®.
The 24-hour digital channel, which launched in September 2005
along with the website, is the only channel that follows the day of
child from breakfast to bedtime with its distinctive programming.
Currently, Sprout is available on digital cable and satellite
to over 50 million homes and is distributed by Comcast, Cox
Communications, DirecTV, Insight, RCN, Time Warner, Verizon,
Mediacom and AT&T. The network's program lineup of more
than 20 different gold-standard, curriculum-based children's shows
which air at various times throughout the day includes: Sesame Street®, Bob the Builder™, Barney &
Friends™, The Wiggles®, Thomas & Friends™, Angelina Ballerina™,
Caillou®, The Berenstain Bears™, Fifi and the Flowertots™,
dirtgirlworld and more.
Sprout is the #1 Kids On Demand service for young children,
generating over half a billion orders to date. Sprout
provides 60 hours of VOD programming each month, including 10-15
hours of Spanish-language programming (Plaza
Sésamo®, Angelina Ballerina™, Barney & Friends™, Bob the
Builder™, Olly El Submarino™).
Although the Sprout digital channel and the VOD service both
meet the needs of preschoolers and their parents or caregivers,
each platform provides a distinct benefit. VOD enables children and
caregivers to choose the programming they want, when they want it,
whereas the 24-hour digital channel provides a variety of material
and short-form original programs uniquely designed to follow a
preschooler's day from breakfast to bedtime.
Daytime programs feature stimulating and upbeat shows designed
to get children moving and active, while evening programming
includes soothing, relaxing shows to help them gently wind down
after a busy day. Most of Sprout 's shows are pared to 5-10 minute
segments to match the attention span of a preschooler, however, if
families wish to view the longer versions of any program, they can
opt for the conventional half-hour or hour programs on VOD.
Sprout's original programs include:
- Sprout's Wiggly Waffle - Airing every weekday morning from
6:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. ET
- The Sunny Side Up Show, hosted by
Kelly, Sean, Dennisha, and Liz with their sidekick Chica, a
witty, playful chicken puppet, is television's only live preschool
morning program. The show, airing LIVE 7 days a week from 9
a.m. - noon ET, provides a warm, welcoming and fun environment
where preschoolers and their families gather each day to interact
live with the hosts, share birthdays, greetings, ideas, crafts and
more. Special guests also stop by to visit on a regular basis, so
on any given day, viewers could get a special treat from a Sesame Street® character like Big Bird, or
Nina from Sprout's The Good Night
Show.
- The Sprout Sharing Show, hosted by
a group of fun and loveable hand puppets, promotes sharing,
imagination and family interaction. Airing every weekday afternoon
from 3 - 6 p.m. ET, the show is set inside a homemade cardboard
puppet theater featuring the Sprout House Band - Patty, the
positive pig emcee; Ricky, a colorful rabbit showman on keyboards;
and Curtis E. Owl, a beatnik owl on stand-up bass. The band
performs songs, introduces videos of preschoolers showing off their
talents and 'Look what I can do!' moments, and shares
viewer-submitted artwork that has been transformed into animated
shorts by the Little Director company using a unique technology
that allows children's drawings on paper to become animated
stories.
- The Good Night Show, hosted by
"Good Night Guide" Nina, was created as a tool to help parents wind
down their children after a busy day (airs each night from 6-9 p.m.
ET and repeats from 9-midnight for families in different time
zones). Nina plays games, sings songs, makes crafts, reads stories
and teaches words in Spanish and sign language along with her
Sprout friends: Star, the lovable and lively star-shaped puppet;
Lucy, an enchanting puppet firefly; and Hush the goldfish.
- Noodle and Doodle, hosted by Sean and his friends, Noodle, a
loveable puppet who likes to help in the kitchen and Doodle, a
virtual, electronic friend, airs every weekend at 9:00 a.m. and
11:30 a.m. ET. The show is set inside a double decker
bus and the hosts lead real preschoolers and viewers at
home to make all kinds of kid-friendly creations.
Sprout viewers can discover nutritional recipes
and clever crafts using materials from around their
house.
- The animated Sprout Diner
encourages preschool children to eat healthy foods and inspires
parents and caregivers with healthy eating ideas.
- The Many Adventures of Mr. Mailman
introduces preschoolers to the concept of travel, new places and
geography in an entertaining way that is also developmentally
appropriate.
Sprout provides a limited amount of parent-directed advertising
that is confined to the top and bottom of programs on both the
digital channel and VOD. Key advertisers include: Huggies,
Pull-Ups, Honda, Geico, Mott's for Tots, SeaWorld, Fisher-Price and
Playskool. Sprout airs approximately three minutes of advertising
per hour, which is considerably lower than the FCC's designated
limits, creating a clutter-free setting for advertisers and a
content-rich environment for viewers.
PBS KIDS Sprout. All Preschool. All the
Time.™