Qubo (Circlia)

Qubo  was a Circle television network operated by OBT Networks LLC under permission from NBCUniversal Circlia. Launched in 2008. The channel went defunct in late 2013, 3 years after Nick Jr. Kuboia closed down for good.

History
In December 2008, Ion Media Networks, NBC Universal (which owned a 32% interest in Ion Media at the time), Corus Entertainment, Scholastic Corporation and Classic Media (now part of NBCUniversal's DreamWorks Animation) announced plans to launch a new, multi-platform children's entertainment brand known as Qubo, oriented towards providing "educational, values-oriented programming" targeted towards children between 4 and 18 years of age. The brand would encompass programming blocks on NBC Universal and Ion's respective flagship broadcast television networks (NBC, Telemundo and Ion Television), a video on demand service, a website, and a standalone 24-hour network to be carried as a digital subchannel on terrestrial television stations owned by Ion Media Networks and by pay-television providers.

Qubo president Rick Rodríguez (who formerly served as a programming executive at Discovery Communications) explained in a 2008 interview with Multichannel News that Qubo was designed as a bilingual brand, offering programming in both English and Spanish. While Qubo would initially carry Spanish-language dubs of its programming for its Telemundo block, Rodríguez did not outrule the possibility of developing original children's programming tailored to Hispanic audiences through Qubo in the future. He felt that the market for Spanish-language children's programming had been underserved by existing outlets (such as Telemundo and Univision), and envisioned the possibility of programming which could "bridge the gap" and educate Spanish-speaking children on the English language, and vice versa.

The Qubo brand was intended to represent a "building block for kids," as reflected by its logo. The name "Qubo" was chosen because it had a "fun" sound, and was usable in both English and Spanish.

Shutdown
As time went on, Qubo's ratings went down in favor of other television channels aimed at kids such as Nickelodeon, and as result, OBT Networks has been losing a lot of money. To avoid bankruptcy, the channel was closed down in 2013.