The Hub

The Hub is an American digital cable and satellite television channel that launched on October 10, 2010. It is Now Called Hub Network. The channel, which replaced Discovery Kids, is a joint venture of Discovery Communications, Inc. and Hasbro. The Hub airs programming primarily aimed at children ages 6-12, drawing largely on the libraries of both parent companies.

The Hub targets a dual audience, young children in the daytime with original and acquired children's programs, and families at night with reruns of older television sitcoms, dramas and featured films. Veteran television exclusive Margaret Loesch serves as president and chief executive officer of The Hub. The channel is available to approximately 60 million subscribers.

History
On April 30, 2009, it was announced that Hasbro acquired a 50% stake in Discovery Kids, with the resulting joint-venture changing the channel's name to The Hub. Discovery will oversee ad sales and distribution, while Hasbro will be responsible for programming. The channel continues to use the Discovery Kids strategy of tagging their educational programming as meeting FCC educational and informational programming guidelines with an on-screen logo to list it as such on electronic program guide listings, despite the E/I policy being targeted wholly to broadcast stations, with cable channels completely excluded from E/I regulations.

The channel launched at 10:00 am ET (9:00 am CT) on October 10, 2010, taking over the Discovery Kids channel space after a final marathon of Kenny the Shark. The first program aired on the channel was the animated series The Twisted Whiskers Show.

Programming
The Hub has announced the addition of nine new shows: Pictureka!, The Adventures of Chuck and Friends, Transformers: Prime, G.I. Joe: Renegades, In the Night Garden, Dennis and Gnasher, R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour, Clue, and Hubworld.

New programming from Hasbro includes new cartoons based on My Little Pony, Transformers, the Pound Puppies, and Strawberry Shortcake. Additionally, the network will air a family game show called Family Game Night, which features Hasbro's board game properties adapted into a game show form.

A limited amount of original Discovery Kids programming remains including series such as Endurance, Adventure Camp, and Scout's Safari, a contrast to other rebranded Discovery networks as of late which have taken on completely new schedules. In addition the network carries library content from Hasbro's defunct Claster Television and Sunbow Productions divisions, including The Transformers and G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, though not any cartoons based on Hasbro properties (or forerunner toy companies such as Tonka that were eventually purchased by Hasbro) made by Hanna-Barbera or Ruby-Spears Productions, whose libraries are owned by Time Warner and air on Cartoon Network and Boomerang. Other library content includes Fraggle Rock, Atomic Betty, Batman Beyond, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show.

Programming blocks
Various types of programs are broadcast on The Hub in programming blocks.

Hubbub
Hubbub is a daytime programming block for preschoolers, airing from 9:00 am-1:00pm ET (8:00 am-12:00 pm CT). The block exists on account of The Hub's primary target audience of school-age children are usually in school during that time period. Programming in the Hubbub block includes Animal Mechanicals, Maryoku Yummy, In the Night Garden, Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures and The WotWots. Hubbub competes with three preschool program cable channels: Nick Jr., Playhouse Disney, and PBS Kids Sprout. It replaces Discovery Kids's Ready Set Learn block.

HubBoom
The Hub features a nighttime lineup on Mondays-Thursdays from 7:00pm-6:00am ET (6:00pm-5:00am CT), Fridays from 2:00-4:00am ET (1:00-3:00am CT), Saturdays from 1:00-4:00am ET (12:00-3:00am CT), and Sundays from 12:00-4:00am (11:00pm-3:00am CT). The nighttime schedule consists primarily of off-network syndicated sitcoms and dramas made prior to 2000, primarily from both 20th Century Fox Television and the former Paramount Television aimed at families and adults. Programs currently airing in this block include Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, Doogie Howser, M.D., Laverne & Shirley, The Wonder Years, and Happy Days (the latter three of which had previously run on Nick at Nite); most of these sitcoms are mainly part of a package which was formerly aired by FamilyNet in 2008 and 2009 before their December 2009 purchase by another party.

In addition, a late night block of action-themed programming airs advertised as "HubBoom", featuring Batman, The Transformers, and G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero on Monday through Thursdays from 11:30pm-1:00am ET (10:30pm-12:00am CT). Programming originally produced for The Hub such as Family Game Night, Discovery Kids-produced programming such as Strange Days at Blake Holsey High and Adventure Camp and feature films aimed at family audiences also air in primetime in place of the classic television series on Fridays from 7:00pm-2:00am ET (6:00pm-1:00pm CT), Saturdays from 7:00pm-1:00am ET (6:00pm-12:00am CT) and Sundays from 7:00pm-1:00am ET (6:00pm-12:00am CT).