BabyFirstTV (BFTV), the TV channel targeted to kids as young as six months, landed its first U.S. cable carriage deals with Comcast and Charter, as well as with AT&T for its multichannel video service.
The channel is already carried on DirecTV and EchoStar's DISH satellite service since spring 2006. It also has international carriage deals in the UK, Mexico and the Middle East, with 10 more territories expected to be added in 2007.
“We are delighted to begin our associations with the country’s top cable operators, and are proud and excited to be carried on the Comcast Richmond System [the first domestic roll-out]," said Sharon Rechter, executive VP of BabyFirstTV. "We look forward to rolling out on other systems in the near future."
BFTV, which costs $9.99 a month, plans to add 10 new shows in the next few months, including Shushybye Baby, the bedtime-aiding brainchild of veteran PR exec Steve Syatt.
The channel has come under some fire for aiming at so young a demo-- baby-targeted DVD's from the creators of Sesame Street and Disney's Baby Einstein prompted similar criticisms--but BFTV counters that the channel provides "content specifically tailored to meet the needs of babies and toddlers up to three years of age, in a safe and positive, commercial-free learning environment."
