BabyFirst (stylized in
all lowercase since 2019) is an American TV channel that produces and distributes content for babies from 0–3 years and their parents through television, the internet, and mobile applications. The channel is owned by First Media US. 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
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
and is available in over 120 million homes in 33 countries and in 13 languages.
History
Origins
BabyFirst was founded in 2004
by Guy Oranim and Sharon Rechter.
The network was launched on 11 May 2006 on DirecTV and made available through EchoStar's Dish Network in June 2006.
It is based in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
and was initially funded by Regency Enterprises, Kardan and Bellco Capital.
The channel was controversial as the first 24-hour channel for children six months to three years in age,
but it was popular among parents
and grew quickly.
Distribution expansion
In the 2000s, the
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction o ...
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.
By 2008, it was broadcasting in ten territories in the Asia Pacific, such as China and Korea. In October 2008, SingTel started distributing the channel to the Singapore audience.
It was also being broadcast in Africa and Latin America.
In May 2008, it signed a distribution agreement with
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable, Inc. (TWC) was an American cable television company. Before it was acquired by Charter Communications on May 18, 2016, it was ranked the second largest cable company in the United States by revenue behind only Comcast, opera ...
.
In 2009, HBO Asia became the exclusive distributor in Asia.
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.
A French version was introduced with CanalSat in 2011.
In late 2011, it had arranged broadcasting agreements throughout Europe,
the Middle East,
and Canada.
A bilingual Latin and English channel, BabyFirst Americas, was launched with
Comcast
Comcast Corporation (formerly known as American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings),Before the AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corpora ...
in 2012. A premium
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
channel was introduced in June 2013.
Recent history
In 2013, former
ABC Network President Steven McPherson
and Rich Frank, the former chairman of
Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Comp ...
became investors and board members as the company worked to develop new content and improve advertising revenues.
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.
Programming
The television channel provides 24-hour programming for babies.
About 90 percent of the 90 shows it produces are original content created at its studios.
Acquired programs include
Mio Mao,
Squeak!
''Squeak!'' is a children's TV show made by SMG Productions (now known as STV Productions) for the ITV network children's strand CITV. The series re-broadcast in 2007 on STV, on their '' wknd@stv'' strand, and from 2014 as part of the "''Weans ...
, Tec the Tractor, and
Suzy's Zoo
Suzy Spafford, also known as Suzy Spafford Lidstrom (born 1945), is an American cartoonist best known for drawing whimsical animal characters. Her "Suzy's Zoo" line of greeting cards, stickers, stationery, calendars, and similar products is sol ...
. 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.
''The New York Times'' described the content as "decidedly unhurried," making extensive use of bright colors and upbeat music.
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.
The channel logo in the corner changes colors to indicate the skills a segment is intended to develop. Late-night programming is intended to lull viewers to sleep.
There are also 41 BabyFirst apps for mobile devices.
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.
Some experts 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, refute that argument, claiming that experts have lost touch with the realities of raising a child.
The firm suggests the programming is intended to be watched by parents and their children together in an interactive way.
References
External links
* , official website
* , First Media company website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Babyfirsttv
Television networks in the United States
Preschool education television networks
Children's television networks in the United States
Children's television networks in Canada
Television channels and stations established in 2003
Early childhood education
Articles containing video clips