New TV channel sets its sights on the very young
NEW YORK – Escalating an already heated national debate, a first-of-its-kind TV channel premieres today designed specifically for babies – an age group that the American Academy of Pediatrics says should be kept away from television altogether.
The new, round-the-clock channel is called BabyFirstTV. For $9.99 a month, it will be available initially by satellite through DirecTV and later through cable TV providers as well.
TV offerings already abound for older toddlers, and a lucrative – though controversial – market has developed for baby-oriented videos, attracting Walt Disney Co. and the makers of “Sesame Street,” among others. But until now there had been no ongoing programming aimed at infants.
“The fact of life is that babies are already watching TV,” said Sharon Rechter, BabyFirstTV’s executive vice president for business development and marketing. “That’s why having BabyFirstTV is so important – what we want to offer is completely safe, commercial-free and appropriate content.”
The pediatrics academy recommends that children under 2 not be exposed to TV or videos, saying that learning to talk and play with others is much more important.
Seattle-area pediatrician Donald Shifrin, chairman of the academy committee that studies television and children, urged parents to exercise prudence and to view the new TV options skeptically.
” ‘Sesame Street’ has opened a Pandora’s box by legitimizing the idea that TV needs to be developed for this demographic,” Shifrin said. “We’re not the nation’s nanny, but we do want to provide a little balance – we don’t want to make TV the default entertainer for children.”
Critics of TV for infants also are skeptical of assertions by BabyFirstTV and other companies that their products are designed to be watched by babies and parents together in an interactive manner.
“Experience tells anyone that it’s not going to be used that way,” said Dr. Michael Rich, director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Children’s Hospital Boston. “Parents use it to park their kids in front of the TV so they can get things done.”
Rechter said BabyFirstTV is not claiming that its programs – designed for viewers from 6 months to 3 years old – will make babies smarter. “But having babies and parents interact helps children’s development, and we give them that opportunity,” she said.
Rechter said BabyFirstTV will start with 250 hours of content, 80 percent of it original. Some of its programs will come from baby DVD companies, including Brainy Baby and First Impressions.
The three companies behind BabyFirstTV are Regency Enterprises, a film and TV production company that is a partner of Fox Entertainment; Kardan N.V, an investment group based in the Netherlands and Israel; and Bellco Capital, a private Los Angeles-based investment fund.