December, 20 2007
Channel Profile: PBS KIDS Sprout
By Nathaniel S. Berke

An example of a channel profile written for World Screen Weekly, an email newsletter sent every Thursday to more than 40,000 television executives via email.

PBS KIDS Sprout broke the mold for traditional channel launch strategies when it debuted its video-on-demand service five months before its linear channel and website. According to Sandy Wax, the president and general manager of Sprout, this allowed the channel to pursue a “platform-agnostic” philosophy that maximizes the strengths of each medium without “cannibalizing” the others. “There was a unique advantage to being able to truly think about a multiplatform destination for kids and families where each way that you interact with it is equally important and would take advantage of that particular type of experience,” she says.

Following this strategy, Sprout executives laid out a three-legged plan in which the linear channel is programmed around short segments, with hosted blocks that follow the day of the child; the VOD service is built around the idea of the viewer actively seeking out content; and the channel’s website supplements both, bridging the gap between viewing experiences. “Online is really the way to connect the platforms together,” says Wax. An example of the synergy of the three outlets is its original program Sprout Diner, which encourages healthy eating. Avoiding the didactic tone of food pyramids and portion control, Sprout teaches by showing what happens when Barney or Bob the Builder eats a healthy snack. Parents can print out the recipe for the snack online, and then make it with their child while watching short cooking segments on the VOD service.

Another major illustration of the connection between the linear channel and the online portal is the use of viewer contributions. During Sprout’s The Sunny Side Up Show, a hosted live morning block launched in September, children are urged to submit content such as weather reports from their neighborhoods, birthday cards, artwork, photos and crafts. The show receives more than 4,000 such messages a week, and more than 43,000 birthday cards alone have already been submitted. “It’s a real dynamic connection back and forth,” says Wax. “We like to think of Sprout as a network that’s made for you by you. And that’s our philosophy, and how we integrate the website into that is really important.”

Still, Wax acknowledges that the linear channel is at the center of the Sprout experience. While Sprout does air some short-form originals—such as The Many Adventures of Mr. Mailman and Sprout Diner—its lineup is dominated by acquired programs that are segmented into shorter stories and presented live by their hosts. “This is primarily a network in which the DNA is these incredibly strong, time-tested curriculum-driven shows,” says Wax. “And then we’re enhancing the experience and creating the connection with what we’re doing originally.”

Acquired programming airing in these blocks include Sesame Street, Bob the Builder, Barney & Friends, Thomas & Friends, Angelina Ballerina, Teletubbies and more. Sprout also chooses shows that may be new to U.S. viewers, such as The Hoobs, originally produced by The Jim Henson Company for Channel 4 in the U.K.

The hosted live blocks—The Sunny Side Up Show in the morning, The Let’s Go Show in the afternoon and The Good Night Show in the evening—are designed to follow the day of the preschooler with programs that will, for example, encourage outdoor play in the afternoon, or cuddling up and relaxing at night.

“The thing we really do from a programming standpoint for parents is give them ideas and inspiration for a way to have a Sprout-type experience even when the TV is turned off,” says Wax.

When considering acquisitions, Wax says the channel targets programming made for kids aged 2 to 5 years old that has the pacing, music and educational curriculum suitable for a preschooler while also being fun, interactive and engaging. Programs should seek to foster parent-child interaction all day, possibly by lending themselves to online and VOD opportunities.

LAUNCH DATE: The VOD service PBS KIDS Sprout On Demand started in April 2005; PBS KIDS Sprout, the 24-hour preschool digital cable channel, made its debut on September 26, 2005.

OWNERSHIP: PBS KIDS Sprout was formed as a partnership between Comcast Corporation, HIT Entertainment, PBS and Sesame Workshop.

DISTRIBUTION: The linear channel reaches 35 million households on cable and satellite services, including Comcast, Cox Communications, DIRECTV, Insight, RCN, Time Warner, Verizon and AT&T. The VOD service has received more than 300 million orders to date.

DESCRIPTION: PBS KIDS Sprout is a 24-hour TV channel, a VOD service and a website for kids aged 2 to 5 and their caregivers that provides programming that follows the day of the child from breakfast to bedtime.

PRESIDENT & GENERAL MANAGER: Sandy Wax

SENIOR VP, PROGRAMMING: Andrew Beecham

VP, MARKETING: Eileen Diskin

WHAT’S NEW: In the coming months, Sprout will continue to build upon its online presence, where it recently launched a parenting section with monthly topics including safety and healthy living. Plans are in the works for a blog, where a “Sprout Mom” will help guide parents in a community discussion. The channel also works closely with KidsHealth.org, a group that creates health-oriented children’s content for foundations and hospitals. Experts from the organization help launch topics on the Sprout website.

On the linear channel, “getting Sprout out there in a much more personal way” is a high priority, says Wax, and the live segments are a means of doing that. Discussions are under way to take the live show out on location, and soon The Sunny Side Up Show will feature its first guest host: “Barney is going to stop by,” says Wax. “Barney is never live on TV, he’s always pre-recorded, so anything can happen. Hopefully nothing too crazy. You know, he is a prehistoric dinosaur, after all.”

WEBSITE: www.SproutOnline.com