TV Programming for Babies to Premiere Amid Criticism

Escalating an already heated national debate, a first-of-its-kind TV channel is set to premiere today designed specifically for babies -- an age group that the American Academy of Pediatrics says should be kept away from television altogether.

The round-the-clock channel is called BabyFirstTV. For $9.99 a month, it is available initially by satellite through DirecTV and later through cable TV providers as well.

The three companies behind BabyFirstTV are Regency Enterprises, a film and TV production company that is a partner of News Corp.’s Fox Entertainment; Kardan, an investment group based in the Netherlands and Israel; and Bellco Capital, a private Los Angeles-based investment fund.

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. But until now there had been no ongoing TV programming aimed at infants.

“This is the first channel dedicated to babies and their parents -- transforming TV from its original purpose into a way for them to interact,” said Sharon Rechter, BabyFirstTV’s executive vice president for business development and marketing.

“The fact of life is that babies are already watching TV,” she said. “That’s why having BabyFirstTV is so important -- what we want to offer is completely safe, commercial-free and appropriate content.”

A 2003 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 68% of children under 2 watch TV or videos daily and 26% have a TV in their bedroom. Nonetheless, the pediatrics academy recommends that children of that age not be exposed to TV or videos, saying that learning to talk and play with others is much more important.

The academy’s guidelines were cited last week in a complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission, challenging claims by leading makers of videos for babies that their products were educational.

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 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 was not claiming that its programs -- designed for viewers from 6 months to 3 years old -- would make babies smarter. “But having babies and parents interact helps children’s development, and we give them that opportunity,” she said.