NBCUniversal Just Shut Down One of Its Cable Channels

NBCUniversal is slimming down its cable lineup. The company has shut down family-oriented channel Universal Kids.

The channel was previously titled PBS Kids Sprout, and later rebranded to Sprout, before taking on its current title in 2017 after attempting to appeal to a wider age range.

The news comes hot on the heels of NBCU spinning off the majority of its cable networks into a new entity called SpinCo, set to be operated by Mark Lazarus and include almost all of NBCU’s major channels like MSNBC, CNBC, E!, Syfy, USA Network, Oxygen, and The Golf Channel. Popular reality network Bravo is the lone exception.

PBS Kids Sprout launched in 2005 as a joint venture from PBS, Sesame Workshop (of Sesame Street fame), Comcast and HIT Television Ventures. NBCU bought the channel from all four owners in 2013. In an effort to drive up viewer numbers in recent years, the company enlisted DreamWorks Animation to create several original series based on existing IP, like Dragons: Riders of Berk and DreamWorks’ Where’s Waldo.

“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 to Variety.