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HBO Kids
Network HBO Family
LaunchedAugust 26, 2001; 22 years ago (2001-08-26)
ClosedFebruary 29, 2024; 54 days ago (2024-02-29)
Country of origin United States
Owner Home Box Office, Inc.
( Warner Bros. Discovery)
Formerly known asJam (2001–2016)
Sister network Magnet (2001–2005)
Running time6am-3pm (2001–04)
6am-1:30pm (2004–05)
6am-9am (2005–06, then again 2020–21)
6am-12:00pm (2006–07)
6am-8am
6am-10am (2020)
4pm-5pm (formerly)
6am-11am (2011–20)
6am-8am (2021–24)
Original language(s)English

HBO Kids (formerly Jam) was an American preschool/children's television morning block operated by Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO), a division of Warner Bros. Discovery. The block ran on HBO Family, HBO's sister station that targets children and families. [1]

The block last ran from 6:00 am to roughly 8:00 to 9:00 am (ET) on weekdays; the block's shows were not shown in a standard half-hour timeslot. The block used to have an weekday 4pm timeslot, which was filled with The Electric Company. The block also aired on weekends until October 2020.

History

In 2001, HBO Family launched two children's programming blocks: Jam in the morning, and Magnet on weekday afternoons. Programming for both blocks was developed in coordination with CINAR Animation, Nelvana Limited, Sony Entertainment, Sandpaper Films, Scholastic, Devine Entertainment, S4C, HiT Entertainment, Golden Egg Entertainment, Poseidon Pictures, Cuppa Coffee Studios, Curious Pictures, Hyperion Pictures, and Planet Grande. [1] Starting in 2007, with a new set of CGI bumpers for the block, HBO began to slowly remove the block's acquired programming, exclusively focusing on HBO's original children's series. For several years, no new programs were produced or acquired for the block, focusing exclusively on reruns of HBO's own children's programs.

On August 13, 2015, HBO announced a deal with Sesame Workshop to move first-run Sesame Street episodes on HBO. [2] The episodes premiered on the network on January 16, 2016, alongside other Sesame Workshop-produced programming, including The Electric Company and Pinky Dinky Doo. [3] The following day (which was January 17), Jam rebranded as HBO Kids.[ citation needed] On November 12, 2020, first-run Sesame Street episodes moved to HBO Max (via. Cartoonito) starting with its 51st season.

On August 18, 2018, an animated series entitled Esme & Roy, also produced by Sesame Workshop, premiered. [4] HBO removed all Sesame Workshop shows from its HBO Family channel by January 2021, reverting the block back to HBO's original children's series. However, most of the acquired shows from Sesame Workshop were still available on the HBO Max streaming service until January 2, 2021, with only Sesame Street, Esme & Roy, and any Sesame Workshop show made exclusive for the streaming service still being available. Currently, the block's schedule shows four of HBO's original programs, followed by a children's TV special, before airing one more program, then starting one of the channel's circulated movies or specials. [5]

On February 29, 2024, the block was discontinued, but the HBO Kids shows are still available on Max.

Programming

Final programming

  • 1 = Airs occasionally.

Original programming

Title Original run HBO Kids run Source(s)
A Little Curious February 1, 1999 – May 1, 2000 August 26, 2001 – February 29, 2024 [note 1]
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child March 12, 1995 – July 18, 2000 August 26, 2001 – February 29, 2024 [note 2] [note 3]
January 2005 - February 29, 2024
Crashbox February 1, 1999 – April 1, 2000 [note 4] [note 5]
Kindergarten August 26, 2001 – September 7, 2001 August 26, 2001 – February 29, 2024
HBO Storybook Musicals1 November 18, 1987 – December 8, 1993
El Perro y El Gato1 [note 6] 2004 – 2011 2008 – February 29, 2024 [note 7]
Classical Baby1 May 14, 2005 – 2017 May 14, 2005 – February 29, 2024

Former programming

Former acquired programming

Reruns of ended Sesame Workshop series

Title Original network Original run HBO Kids run Now on Source(s)
The Electric Company PBS Kids Go!
PBS Kids 		January 23, 2009 – April 4, 2011 January 17, 2016 – November 1, 2020 Hulu [3]
Pinky Dinky Doo Noggin
Nick Jr. Channel 		April 10, 2006 – June 17, 2010 January 17, 2016 – January 2, 2021 Knowledge Kids [3]


Short-form programming

  • 30 by 30: Kid Flicks (1999 – 2001)
  • HBO Family: 411 (1999 – 2016)
  • Who Knew? (1999 – 2016)
  • Smart Mouth (1999 – 2016)
  • Jammin' Animals (2001 – 2016)
  • My Favorite Book (2001 – 2016)
  • El Perro y El Gato (2004 – 2016)
  • Just Wondering (2009 – 2016)
  • Sesame Street Shorts (January 17, 2016 – November 1, 2020)
  • And Now You Know
  • Eat 5
  • I Want To Be
  • Matters of Fact
  • Lisa
  • The Way I See It (2001 – 2016)
  • When I'm...

References

Notes

  1. ^ This show first aired before airing on Jam, first premiering in 1999.
  2. ^ The show first aired before airing on Jam, first airing in 1995.
  3. ^ Season 1 and 2 first aired only on the HBO channel, before being moved to HBO Family to air its third season on there.
  4. ^ The show originally aired on Magnet, before moving to Jam in January 2005.
  5. ^ This show first aired before airing on Jam, first premiering in 1999.
  6. ^ The show was first an interstitial series in 2004. Then, it became a half-hour series in 2008.
  7. ^ This is the TV series (not to be confused with the interstitial series), which is still airing.

Citations

  1. ^ a b "HBO Family Announces New Lineup for Fall 2001". WarnerMedia. 2001-08-01.
  2. ^ Steinberg, Brian (2015-08-13). "Why 'Sesame Street' Had to Turn a Corner". Variety. Retrieved 2019-06-22.
  3. ^ a b c "HBO Takes On Netflix With A New Kids Section Featuring "Sesame Street" And More". TechCrunch. 13 January 2016. Retrieved 2019-06-22.
  4. ^ Petski, Denise (2018-07-25). "'Esme & Roy': HBO Sets Premiere Date For New Animated Series From Sesame Workshop – TCA". Deadline. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
  5. ^ "HBO TV Schedule". January 27, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  6. ^ The show start releasing new episodes on HBO Max in 2020, starting with its 51st season.
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