PBS Kids takes to YouTube

US public broadcaster PBS Kids has launched its first official YouTube channel, featuring hundreds of clips and promotional videos from series such as Arthur and Wild Kratts.

Wild Kratts

The PBS Kids-branded channel, which is aimed at children aged between two and eight and their parents, also features full episodes of original web series.

These include Fizzy’s Lunch Lab, Oh Noah!, Ruff Ruffman: Humble Media Genius and Plum Landing, with new content to be added on a weekly basis.

Other series with a presence on the channel include Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Peg + Cat, Martha Speaks, Wordgirl and PBS Kids’ latest original series Odd Squad.

Sesame Street, one of PBS Kids’ most popular series, already has its own channel on Google-owned YouTube, which includes episodes of The Furchester Hotel, a coproduction between UK pubcaster the BBC and Sesame Workshop in the US.

“Having a greater presence on YouTube will make it even easier for more families to access programming from the number-one kids’ educational media brand,” PBS Kids said.

PBS Kids’ arrival on YouTube sees it join numerous other high-profile children’s broadcasters on the video-sharing platform, which has introduced safety features online to protect children.

However, concerns remain over the ease with which children are able to watch unsuitable content via the site, and as a result, Google is working on versions of its products, including YouTube, designed specifically for children.