Sky Kids (New Zealand TV channel)
| Country | New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Programming | |
| Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) 16:9 |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Sky Network Television |
| Sister channels | Sky Open Sky 5 Vibe Jones! Sky Movies Sky Comedy |
| History | |
| Launched | 2 December 2025 |
| Replaced | Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. (programming) Cartoon Network (channel slot) |
| Links | |
| Website | Official Site |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| Sky Go | skygo.co.nz |
Sky Kids is a television channel in New Zealand available on Sky, launched on 2 December 2025.
Sky Kids's programmes are mostly sourced from US cable networks Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. and serves as a replacement to both channels, which were removed per the end of its contract with Paramount. The channel is available on channel 101.[1]
History
Background
Nickelodeon as a channel had been present in New Zealand since 2000, when it launched as a basic channel on its digital service.[2] This later led to the creation of a dedicated local feed on 1 August 2006.[3] This feed closed on 1 December 2010, as part of the announcement of the closure of the offices in Auckland and the move of its staff to Sydney, whereafter Sky replaced it with the Australian feed.[4] In tandem with this decision, Sky added Nick Jr. to its offer.[5]
In July 2025, Sky announced the removal of the Paramount networks from its offer after refusing to sign a new contract, putting the Nickelodeon channels off the service later in the year.[6]
Launch
On 10 November 2025, Sky announced the creation of Sky Kids to compensate for the loss of the Paramount channels. An NZ On Air study released the previous week shows that 11% of kids in New Zealand still watch Sky channels, far behind YouTube, at 69%. Programming would be dayparted into a morning block for pre-schoolers and an afterschool block for older kids. The Nickelodeon content will be complemented by local productions.[1]
Programming
Information correct as of the time of the announcement.[1]
Local output
- Katie's Kuri
- The Last Moa
- Kiri & Lou
- The Drawing Show
- Extreme Cake Sports
- Secrets at Red Rocks
- Tākaro Tribe (local)
From Nick Jr.
- Blaze and the Monster Machines
- Dora
- Paw Patrol
- Blue's Clues & You!
- Butterbean's Café
- Rubble & Crew [7]
- Top Wing [8]
- Shimmer & Shine [9]
From Nickelodeon
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- The Loud House
- CatDog
- Avatar The Last Airbender
- Rugrats (1991)
- Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV series) [10]
Other acquisitions
Australian shows (2025-26)
- Bananas in Pyjamas [11]
- Ready, Steady, Wiggle![12]
- Teeny Tiny Stevies [13]
- Play School Nursery Rhyme News Time [14]
- Play School Story Time [15]
- Wiggle and Learn
- Big Words, Small Stories [16]
Subsequent additions (post-launch)
From Nickelodeon
Australian shows (2025-26)
- Reef School[18]
French shows (2026-present)
References
- ^ a b c Currie, Shayne. "Sky's new dawn – new channels to replace Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, Cartoon Network and MTV". NZ Herald. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
- ^ Best of British for sky viewers. (2000, Feb 05). Dominion
- ^ "24-Hour Localised Mtv And Nickelodeon in NZ | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
- ^ "MTV to close NZ offices". The New Zealand Herald. New Zealand Press Association. 28 September 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2010.
- ^ "Nick Junior To Launch on Sky in New Zealand" (Press release). MTV Networks Asia Pacific. 28 September 2010. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
- ^ "TV shake-up: Sky TV set to lose channels - viewers 'don't like repeats'". NZ Herald. Archived from the original on 4 July 2025. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Top Wing". Sky Go. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ^ "Shimmer and Shine". Sky Go. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ [4]
- ^ [5]
- ^ [6]
- ^ [7]
- ^ [8]
- ^ a b Hageman, Mitchell (28 January 2026). "Sky and Paramount's NZ deal: Where to watch Yellowstone, Yellowjackets and more". New Zealand Herald.
- ^ [9]
- ^ [10]
- ^ [11]
- ^ [12]
- ^ [13]
- ^ [14]