The channel launched on September 26, 2005, as PBS Kids Sprout, a preschool-oriented spin-off of PBS Kids. It replaced PBS's original 24-hour PBS Kids Channel, which operated between 1999 and 2005. After Comcast's acquisition of NBCUniversal in 2011, NBCUniversal began to acquire the remaining owners' shares in the network. NBCUniversal became the sole owner in 2013, after which the network was renamed Sprout. In 2017, the network relaunched as Universal Kids, adding an evening and prime time lineup targeting a wider youth audience.