BabyFirst is an American TV channel that produces and distributes content for babies' ages 6-36 months and their parents through television, the internet, and mobile applications. The channel is owned by First Media. 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.
History
Origins
BabyFirst was founded in 2004 by Guy Oranim and Sharon Rechter. The network was launched on May 11, 2006 on DirecTV and made available through EchoStar's Dish Network that June. The network is based in Los Angeles and was initially funded by Regency Enterprises, Kardan and Bellco Capital. BabyFirst 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 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. In 2009, HBO Asia became the exclusive distributor for the channel in Asia. In 2011, BabyFirst 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. By the end of 2011, it had arranged broadcasting agreements throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Canada. A bilingual Latin/English channel, BabyFirst Americas, was launched with Comcast in 2012. A premium BabyFirst YouTube 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 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
BabyFirst's television channel provides 24-hour programming for babies. About 90 percent of the 90 shows BabyFirst produces are original content created at its studios. Acquired programs include Shape A Majigs, Mio Mao, Ready Dress Go, Squeak!, Tec the Tractor, Suzy's Zoo, Color Crew, and Rainbow Horse. 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 guided by child psychology experts and is designed to encourage a child's skills development, such as counting, vocabulary and color recognition. The BabyFirst 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 BabyFirst as a digital babysitter. Parents in-turn refute that argument, claiming that experts have lost touch with the realities of raising a child. BabyFirst suggests the programming is intended to be watched by parents and their children together in an interactive way.
