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BabyFirst

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BabyFirst
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CountryUnited States
Broadcast areaUnited States
Canada
HeadquartersLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Programming
LanguageTemplate:Pluralize from textEnglish, French, German, Hebrew, Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish
Picture format1080i HDTV
Ownership
OwnerFirst Media
History
LaunchedMay 11, 2006; 20 years ago (2006-05-11)
Former namesBabyFirstTV
Links
Websitewww.babyfirsttv.com

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BabyFirst (stylized in all lowercase since 2019) is an American pay television channel producing and distributing content for babies and toddlers from 0–3 years[1] and their parents through television, the internet, and mobile applications. The channel is owned by First Media US.[2] The content is intended to develop an infant's skills, such as color recognition, counting and vocabulary.

The network is based in Los Angeles, California and is available in over 120 million homes in 33 countries and in 13 languages.[3][4]

History

Origins

BabyFirst was announced in 2004[5] by Guy Oranim and Sharon Rechter.[6][7][8] The network was launched on May 11, 2006, on DirecTV and made available through EchoStar's Dish Network in June 2006.[9][10] It is based in Los Angeles and was initially funded by Regency Enterprises, Kardan and Bellco Capital.[11][12] The channel was controversial as the first 24-hour channel for children six months to three years in age,[12][13] but it was popular among parents[14][15][16] and grew quickly.[9]

Distribution expansion

In the 2000s, the Federal Trade Commission responded to a complaint by the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood alleging that BabyFirst's advertising that it helped babies develop skills was misleading. The FTC did not impose any sanctions.[9][17]

By 2008, it was broadcasting in ten territories in the Asia Pacific, such as China and Korea.[18] In October 2008, SingTel started distributing the channel to the Singapore audience.[19] It was also being broadcast in Africa and Latin America.[9] In May 2008, it signed a distribution agreement with Time Warner Cable.[9][20][21] In 2009, HBO Asia became the exclusive distributor in Asia.[22]

In 2011, the network obtained agreements to distribute the channel in the United Kingdom through the BSkyB satellite network as well as in Mexico through Sky Mexico and Cablevision.[23] A French version was introduced with CanalSat in 2011.[5] In late 2011, it had arranged broadcasting agreements throughout Europe,[24] the Middle East,[23][24] and Canada.[25]

A bilingual Spanish and English channel, BabyFirst Americas, was launched with Comcast in 2012.[26][27] A premium YouTube channel was introduced in June 2013.[6]

Recent history

In 2013, former ABC Network President Steven McPherson[6] and Rich Frank, the former chairman of Disney Channel[28] became investors and board members as the company worked to develop new content and improve advertising revenues.[28] In May 2014, BabyFirst and AT&T U-verse released a co-developed second-screen app for mobile devices for children to interact with the television programming through tablets or smartphones.[29]

Programming

The television channel provides 24-hour programming for babies.[30] About 90 percent of the 90 shows it produces are original content created at its studios.[12][31] Acquired programs include Mio Mao, Squeak!, Teletubbies, Bob the Builder, Timmy Time, and Word Party. The format of the network limits each of the network's presentations to three to five minutes of length that are either live-action or animated.[13][31]

The New York Times described the content as "decidedly unhurried", making extensive use of bright colors and upbeat music.[13] Programming development is said to be guided by child psychology experts and is designed to encourage a child's skills development, such as counting, vocabulary and color recognition.[6][12][24][32] The channel logo in the corner changes colors to indicate the skills a segment is intended to develop: red for language skills, orange for socio-emotional skills, yellow for cognitive thinking, green for exposure to the world around them, blue for numbers, and pink for imagination, music and art skills. Late-night programming utilizes the main rainbow-colored logo, and is intended to viewers to sleep.[13]

There are also 41 BabyFirst apps for mobile devices.[31] An app available to AT&T U-verse viewers allows children to draw on a mobile device and have the drawing appear on the television screen.[29]

Some experts[who?] argue that exposing children to television at such an early age is taking technology too far or that parents are using the channel as a digital babysitter. Parents, in turn, argue against that argument, claiming that experts have lost touch with the realities of raising a child.[33] BabyFirst suggests the programming is intended to be watched by parents and their children together in an interactive way.[34]

References

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  1. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lopez, Lopez (June 4, 2019). "First Media Renews Content Partnership With China-Based Streamer iQiyi". Yahoo. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."BABYFIRST Now on Verizon Fios". Multichannel. Media Financial Management Association. April 25, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  3. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."First Media — About". Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  4. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Skilton, Alison (June 11, 2019). "BabyFirst Extends Carriage in Mexico". TVKids. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Guid, Elizabeth; Leffler, Rebecca (December 21, 2011). "Fox, CanalSat members of a baby boom". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  6. ^ a b c d Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Miller, DiAngelea (June 6, 2013). "BabyFirst, with premium YouTube channel and new investor, expands". Los Angeles Times.
  7. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Dunn, Laura (March 16, 2015). "Women in Business: Sharon Rechter, co-founder of BabyFirst". HuffPost. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Sharon Rechter". Israeli American Council. August 21, 2017.
  9. ^ a b c d e Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Carvaja, Doreen (May 19, 2008). "What can TV do for your baby? 2 channels specialized in child fare are thriving, but critics cite risks of too much viewing". International Herald Tribune.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Robinson (May 12, 2006). "'Screen Test' Toddler - Kid & Folks Rate Baby TV". New York Post. p. 8.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Round-the-Clock Channel for Infants Debuts on DirecTV". Associated Press. March 25, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  12. ^ a b c d Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Davis, Joyzelle (June 14, 2006). "EchoStar to offer BabyFirst channel". Rocky Mountain News. Archived from the original on September 21, 2014. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  13. ^ a b c d Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Itzkoff, Dave (May 21, 2006). "TV Moves A Step Closer To the Womb". The New York Times. p. 1.
  14. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Shin, Annys (February 24, 2007). "Diaper Demographic; TV, Video Programming for the Under-2 Market Grows Despite Lack of Clear Educational Benefit". The Washington Post.
  15. ^ Karen B. TV for tots a turnoff. Courier Mail, The (Brisbane) [serial online]. October 14, 2009;:33. Available from: Newspaper Source Plus, Ipswich, MA. Accessed May 22, 2014.
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Clemetson, Lynette (May 25, 2006). "Parents Making Use of TV Despite Risks". The New York Times. p. 16.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lafayette, Hayes (September 2, 2013). "McPherson Seeks More Carriage for Kid-TV Net". Broadcasting & Cable.
  18. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Wong, Christine (November 1, 2008). "Crossing the channels: despite the economic crisis, this year has seen a slew of new channels roll out in the region, with some still set to launch". Television Asia.
  19. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."BabyFirstTV on SingTel's mio TV". Television Asia. October 1, 2008.
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Schneider, Michael (May 9, 2008). "Time Warner to carry BabyFirst". Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  21. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Flint, Joe (March 29, 2015). "It's Really Here: TV for Babies". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  22. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."HBO Asia strikes agreement to represent BabyFirst, WarnerTV across Asia". Television Asia. December 1, 2009.
  23. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Brennan, Steve (March 20, 2007). "BabyFirstTV crawls its way to U.S." The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  24. ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Proudfoot, Shannon (July 27, 2012). "24-hour TV for kids under 3 is on the air". Winnipeg Free Press.
  25. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Vlessing, Etan (July 26, 2012). "BabyFirst crawling onto Canadian TV". The Hollywood Reporter.
  26. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Moore, Frazier (February 21, 2012). "Comcast to start new minority-owned cable channels". Associated Press.
  27. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Comcast Outlines Plan to Carry 4 Minority-Owned Channels". The New York Times. p. 2. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  28. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Getzler, Wendy (December 9, 2013). "With Rich Frank on-board, BabyFirst kicks into ad mode". Kidscreen. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  29. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Baumgartner, Jeff (May 8, 2014). "AT&T, BabyFirst Team On U-verse App". Multichannel News. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  30. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Taylor, Kate (August 8, 2007). "Ok, I admit it: Treehouse is a parent's dream". Globe and Mail. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  31. ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Baby Boom: Profile: BabyFirst". Spring 2014.
  32. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Proudfoot, Shannon (July 27, 2007). "New network for the newly born; Commercial-free, 24-hour station for babies to launch in Canada". The Star Phoenix. pp. B8. Archived from the original on August 9, 2014.
  33. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Karen Brooks (2008). Consuming Innocence: Popular Culture and Our Children. Univ. of Queensland Press. p. 129. ISBN 978-0-7022-3645-7.
  34. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Villalpando, Nicole (August 24, 2012). "BabyFirst develops baby's first apps". The Statesman. Archived from the original on July 22, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2014.

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