KidsClick

KidsClick

Network	TBD (national) Syndication
Launched	July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)
Country of origin	United States
Owner	Sinclair Broadcast Group
Key people	Daniel Barnathan (Vice President, Family and Children's Programming and Sales) Jonathan Dern (Executive Producer)[1]
Format	Weekday/weekend morning cartoon block
Running time	3 hours; Weekdays: 6–9 am (ET); Weekends: 7–10 am (ET)[2]
Original Language(s)	English
Official website	Official website

KidsClick is a daily children's programming block distributed by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which premiered on July 1, 2017. The block, which primarily consists of long-form animated series as well as some short-form content, is carried in the U.S. on digital multicast network TBD, and on Sinclair-owned/operated television stations in several markets.^[3] At launch, the block was available in 75 million households.^[1] The block also marked the return of traditional weekday cartoons and Saturday morning cartoons to over-the-air television as a network,^[4] as well as the first children's programming block on U.S. broadcast television not to comply with Children's Television Act regulations since the Saban Brands-produced Vortexx was discontinued by The CW on September 27, 2014.

The This TV iteration of the block accompanied an existing, unbranded lineup of educational programming on weekend mornings, which has aired on the network since November 1, 2013, after the discontinuation of Cookie Jar Toons (which coincided with original co-owner Weigel Broadcasting transferring its 50% interest in the network to Tribune Broadcasting, as well as the Cookie Jar Group's absorption into DHX Media); it also marked the first time that This TV had carried children's programming on Monday through Saturday mornings since Tribune (whom Sinclair later attempted and failed to acquire)^[5][6] assumed partial ownership of the network. On July 1, 2018, This TV discontinued carriage of KidsClick, which was transferred to Sinclair's TBD channel, which had been carrying the block on a transitional basis since May 7 of that year.^[7]

History

On May 2, 2017, Sinclair Broadcast Group announced that it would launch a multiplatform children's programming block on linear television and digital platforms. The company partnered with MGM Domestic Television Distribution to develop and distribute KidsClick, which it planned to air nationally on This TV and select network affiliates (particularly those aligned with The CW, and the MyNetworkTV programming service, as well as some Fox-affiliated stations that do not carry local morning newscasts in the block's designated timeslots) and independent stations owned and/or operated by Sinclair on July 1, 2017. Its content encompasses short- and long-form material and is distributed online, through internet browsers and mobile apps in video-on-demand and live streaming formats.^{[3][8][9][10]} The block is powered by Imagine Communications' cloud technology from Sinclair's Las Vegas office.^[11]

The move put Sinclair back in the children's television market, an industry estimated to be worth $1 billion, which is currently largely split in advertising revenue between Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.^[3][12] Speaking to the return of children's programming on American commercial broadcast television, Steven M. Marks, COO and EVP of Sinclair Television Group, said in an earnings report on May 3, 2017: "That's a $1 billion-plus spot business that we don't get $0.10 from. So again, it's an illustration of going back into the marketplace and fishing in ponds that we haven't fished in. So that's $1 billion that is pretty much split between [two] cable networks: Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network. Disney is a subscription network. 18 years ago, we were the kings of reaching kids every day. There's no reason in the world why we can't be successful in that space."^[13]

Scheduling

The block is preferred to air every Monday-Friday from 6:00 to 9:00 a.m., and Saturday and Sundays from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. local time^[3], though scheduling variances exist in certain markets due to network programming obligations (such as One Magnificent Morning airing from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m., which may delay or preempt the KidsClick Saturday Morning lineup on The CW-affiliated stations that carry both blocks), existing contracts for other syndicated programming or with paid or religious programming providers, or a preference to air news and sports programming in those slots.^[14]

As This TV ran only in 480i 4:3 standard definition, it aired in a letterbox format on that network, as the entire block mainly features programming designed for a 16:9 high definition display, which is how it airs on TBD, as well as most affiliated and Sinclair stations.

Because the programs featured on KidsClick do not meet educational content guidelines defined in the Children's Television Act by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), This TV continued to air a block of live-action travel and wildlife series from Steve Rotfeld Productions immediately after the weekend broadcasts of the KidsClick lineup to fulfill the mandate (accordingly, the network's E/I block switched from a singular, three-hour block aired only on Sunday mornings to two separate 90-minute-long blocks that will air on Saturdays and Sundays).^[15][16] Sinclair-operated independent stations that air KidsClick also continue to provide E/I-compliant programs acquired from the syndication market through individual distributors, from Fox's Xploration Station block managed by Rotfeld, or via the Litton Entertainment-distributed Go Time block to meet the quotas.

Programming

Stations

The following is a list of stations that carry KidsClick in syndication; this includes the possibility that a TBD affiliate on a station owned by Sinclair or another owner will also air the programming block in the same market near or at the same time:

References

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