The channel launched on September 26, 2005, as PBS Kids Sprout, a preschool-oriented channel jointly operated by PBS, Comcast, Sesame Workshop, and HIT Entertainment, as an offshoot of the PBS Kids brand. After the acquisition of NBCUniversal by Comcast in 2011, NBCUniversal bought out the remaining owners' shares in the network. NBCUniversal became the sole owner of the network in 2013, after which it was renamed Sprout. In 2017, the network relaunched as Universal Kids, adding an evening and prime time lineup targeting a wider youth audience.