Blog:Universal Kids (2019-present)

=Universal Kids (2019-present)=

Universal Kids is an American pay-television owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. The channel is formerly known as PBS Kids Sprout and Sprout, until 2017, it became Universal Kids.

NOTE: This is based on my personal opinion about this channel.

Why It's Not So Universal Anymore

 * 1) Such as just like we all hated the fact that Universal Kids replaced Sprout, as Sprout continued as Universal Kids Preschool. which was a good thing. But we're talking about Universal Kids since 2019, now.
 * 2) * Since Universal Kids rebranded in 2019, they started to kill off the Sprout property in July 2019, while some Sprout shows still continued to air on the channel, until they let them die out in 2020.
 * 3) **The only time they brought back all of Universal Kids' modern preschool programming was for occasions, brought them back for Christmas 2019, and Mother's Day 2020. However, they didn't return for Christmas 2020 neither 2021 and so on, so that means that the Sprout/UKP property is completely gone.
 * 4) **It has been quite shown that Universal Kids Preschool was completely gone as their YouTube channel changed to Peacock Jr. (a kids counterpart to Peacock), along with Peacock Kids (that was DreamWorksTV YouTube channel). With the UKP YouTube gone, the main Universal Kids YT channel which was only for their live action and animation programming, is now for all of their programming.
 * 5) The channel basically is trying to get themselves shut down, almost like they have given up on even TRYING to be a good kids network like every other network like Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, and Discovery Family.
 * 6) * For a start, they decide to stop developing original programming for to focus on more acquired programming by DreamWorks.
 * 7) ** Per se, most of their original programming (mainly their preschool original programming) are barely even originals, as they are from other countries like Canada and the UK, and Universal Kids just acquires them and makes it their originals. As most of them aren’t on Peacock because they haven’t truly produced them.
 * 8) * Their successful original shows like Where's Waldo? and American Ninja Warrior Junior moves to NBCU's streaming service, Peacock. Way to decrease Universal Kids' popularity.
 * 9) **Speaking of their popularity decreasing, they stop appearing in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade after 2019.
 * 10) Despite the fact that the channel is named after Universal Pictures and NBCUniversal itself, it sure isn't being treated like it's Universal, especially not their programming either, except for DreamWorks, which Universal owns. Universal Kids only associates with DreamWorks rather than Illumination (NBCU’s second animation company). Well that Illumination doesn’t make TV series, except now that they make Saturday Morning Minions, Universal Kids has never even aired anything by Illumination, except that they aired the Despicable Me Minion shorts, only for Christmas 2018 and 2019. That’s it. That’s all they aired from Illumination. Ironically though, Universal Kids gives support for Illumination on social media.
 * 11) *Even their 2017 logo had it look a lot like Universal Pictures, quite using the same font and style that the UP logo has. Till that’s gone, Kill 2 Birds makes a new logo that has no resemblance to the UP logo at all anymore. Makes it look more kid-friendly. Even the animation for it gives no style of the Universal Pictures logo.
 * 12) *NBCU doesn’t seem to give any care for Universal Kids, as on the NBC app, there is a Universal Kids section, but only Top Chef Junior is on there. But although, who even needs the NBC app when you got… you know.. Peacock?? Y’know??
 * 13) Their schedule nowadays is just nothing more than just Masha and the Bear, Mighty Mike, Cocomelon (soon to leave since it’s moved to Cartoonito US), and Trolls: The Beat Goes On. There’s also where DreamWorks Animation Television shows run all night, Mostly DWTVA shows that are originally on Netflix, Trolls: The Beat Goes On currently is the only DreamWorks show that runs on the daytime.
 * 14) It’s one of those channels that haven’t gone international, as the channel’s only watchable and notable in the United States. Although, DreamWorks has its own channel worldwide, “DreamWorks Channel”, that appears to be a copycat to Universal Kids, except that it has only DreamWorks programming, I mean, it is a DreamWorks channel, so of course it’ll only have DW programming. They even have their own PRESCHOOL BLOCK, “DreamWorks Junior”! Hope they don’t treat that badly like Universal Kids does to their own preschool property.

Redeeming Qualities

 * 1) Universal Kids was honestly a lot better and good on their 2017-2019 era. They were honestly huge, had these big shows, while most of them were their version of main NBC shows like Top Chef Junior, American Ninja Warrior Junior, The Voice Kids, and HECK, THEY EVEN HAD NBC News for Universal Kids! It’s quite shameful that UKids had to give up on all that.
 * 2) Their rebrand is pretty decent, even their holiday rebrands are pretty cool too.
 * 3) It’s a good idea that Universal Kids airs DreamWorks shows from Netflix, since some people don’t have Netflix and they can just watch it on TV, on Universal Kids instead.
 * 4) Where’s Waldo?, Norman Picklestrips, and Powerbirds were the last good original series until Universal Kids was through with original content.

Trivia

 * 1) As it’s pretty obvious and well known, Universal Kids is named after one of the biggest movie studios, Universal Pictures.
 * 2) Their acquired programming (not including PBS Kids Sprout) have mainly been from international channels, such as CBeebies, Cartoonito UK, CBBC, and CBC Kids.
 * 3) Cocomelon and Caillou, the shows that have aired on Universal Kids, now airs on Cartoonito in the US, on Cartoon Network, While Holly Hobbie, that also aired on Universal Kids, now currently airs on BYUtv and Disney Channel. Dino Dan, that previously aired on UKids, previously aired on Nick Jr.