"Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" heads to YouTube

Driving the news: Fred Rogers Productions is teaming up with Little Dot Studios to bring the beloved kids television show to the video-sharing platform, Deadline reported Thursday.

Context: "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," which was filmed at WQED in Pittsburgh from 1968-2001, is already available on PBS and Amazon Prime via the PBS subscription.

What they're saying: DiQuollo, who is managing creative strategy for the new YouTube channel, tells Axios she's excited for Fred Rogers' messages of affirmation and joy to reach a new generation of kids and parents.

• "[Moving to YouTube] is part of our long-term digital strategy, but the timeless messages of Fred Rogers are important for parents, and we want to find new ways to bring that forward to new fans."

By the numbers: 84% of Americans say they have used YouTube, according to Pew Research.

State of play: The channel will only feature content from "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," not Fred Rogers Productions' other shows like "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" or "Donkey Hoodie."

• The channel will be designated "Made for Kids" by YouTube and will comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, DiQuollo said.

What's next: DiQuollo tells Axios it will launch this summer, but an official date has not been set.