Discovery Kids on NBC

**Discovery Kids on NBC** is a former American children's programming block that aired on NBC from October 5, 2002 to September 2, 2006. The block was produced under a time-lease agreement with Discovery Kids, and featured a mix of live-action and animated series originated on the cable network that met educational programming required by the Federal Communications Commission.

## History

In December 2001, NBC reached a partnership with Discovery Communications, in which its cable channel Discovery Kids would produce a three-hour programming block for the network that would feature programming that met the educational programming guidelines enforced by the Children's Television Act. The block would replace TNBC, a block of live-action series aimed at a teenage audience whose creation was motivated by the success of the series *Saved by the Bell*. By 2001, TNBC had been suffering from declining viewership; according to Nielsen Media Research, the block was registering a median viewer age of 41.

Discovery Kids on NBC debuted on October 5, 2002, with its initial lineup incorporating three pre-existing programs (*Prehistoric Planet*, re-runs of Animal Planet's *Croc Files*, and *Operation Junkyard*) and three original series (the *Survivor*-style reality competition series *Endurance*, and the scripted series *Scout's Safari* and *Strange Days at Blake Holsey High*). The following year, *Trading Spaces: Boys vs. Girls*, a child-oriented spin-off of TLC's *Trading Spaces*, joined the lineup.

The new block came out amidst growing children's programming synergies between broadcast and cable television networks. Prior to the Discovery agreement, CBS had launched a Nickelodeon-branded block in 2000 (following Nickelodeon's parent Viacom's merger with CBS), while The WB had begun pooling programs from sister channel Cartoon Network onto its Kids' WB lineup as part of a growing cross-promotion arrangement between the cable channel and the block; in addition, one month before Discovery Kids on NBC debuted, ABC relaunched its Saturday morning block as ABC Kids, expanding upon a programming agreement established in 2001 with sister network Disney Channel that later included select programming from Toon Disney.

On November 1, 2003. the block introduced educationally-oriented animated programs under the banner "Real Toons" with two series, *Kenny the Shark* and *Tutenstein*. This marked the first time that NBC had aired animated series as part of its children's programming lineup since August 1992.

In March 2006, Discovery declined to renew its contract with NBC for its Saturday morning block, citing a desire to focus its children's programming efforts exclusively on the Discovery Kids cable channel; in May of that year, NBC and Ion Media Networks unveiled a joint venture with Corus Entertainment, Scholastic and Classic Media known as Qubo, which would aim to provide educational programming aimed at children between 4 and 8 years of age. The Qubo endeavor included a three-hour Saturday morning block on the network, which replaced Discovery Kids on NBC on September 9, 2006.

## Programming

### Former

* *Adventure Camp* (2003)
* *Croc Files* (2002-05)
* *Jeff Corwin Unleashed* (2003-05)
* *Operation Junkyard* (2002-03)
* *Prehistoric Planet* (2002-03)
* *Scout's Safari* (2002-04)
* *Skunked TV* (2004-05)
* *Strange Days at Blake Holsey High* (2002-05)

### Final

* *Darcy's Wild Life* (2004-06)
* *Endurance* (2002-06)
* *Flight 29 Down* (2005-06)
* *Kenny the Shark* (2003-05; 2006)
* *Time Warp Trio* (2005-06)
* *Trading Spaces: Boys vs. Girls* (2003-06)
* *Tutenstein* (2003-06)