PBS

PBS, (or The Public Broadcasting Service) is an American public broadcaster and television programme distributor made up of more than 350 member television stations. PBS is an independently operated non-profit organisation, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, US.

It has aired Shining Time Station (starting on January 29th, 1989), along with other kids shows. Its primary fundraiser is the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It began airing Thomas &amp; Friends in its normal form under the PBS Kids banner in 2004 starting with Season 8 paired with a Season 7 episode in each airing. Thomas & Friends currently airs on PBS in the United States on weekends. On May 15th, 2013, PBS Kids announced that Thomas & Friends would moved to the daily schedule on weekdays that started on October 7th, 2013 when Season 17 premiered, due to an increase in ratings of nearly 110 million households. A microsite was added on the PBS Kids website as well. An Underwriting spot was added on September  21, 2013 with the narrator of Thomas & Friends, Mark Moraghan announcing it.

PBS Kids Sprout started to air Thomas in 2005 airing Seasons 1-15. They aired restored versions of Season 1-3 and aired Season 5-7 for the first time in the US. Thomas stopped airing on Sprout on autumn 2015 to make way for more original programming.