Designed in collaboration with leading child psychologists and infant development experts for safe and beneficial viewing
Singapore, 21 January 2008 - StarHub, Singapore’s largest pay-TV provider, announced today that BabyTV, the world’s first commercial-free channel dedicated to children under three years old, will be made available on StarHub Digital Cable Channel 37, from 25 January 2008, 6am.
Mr Patrick Lim, StarHub’s Vice President of Cable TV Services said, “We have always aimed to offer a diverse range of content to meet the viewing needs of all our customers, and now, even infants in the family will be able to enjoy the quality programming on StarHub Digital Cable. As a parent with three young kids, I can relate to the desire to want the best for one’s children. BabyTV is developed to stringent standards in collaboration with child experts, and parents can rest assure that their children are being entertained in a safe learning environment.”
Cable TV customers with a digital set-top box, HubStation or High Definition set-top box can enjoy BabyTV for an affordable monthly fee of $4 ($4.28 with GST), and StarHub Digital Cable customers can sample the programmes on BabyTV simply by tuning in to StarHub’s Preview Channel, Channel 01, during the channel’s free preview period from 25 January to 3 February.
Mr Liran Talit, Managing Director and co-founder of BabyTV said, “We are extremely happy to launch BabyTV with StarHub in Singapore. Asia is an important market for the channel, and we believe that BabyTV will gain popularity quickly amongst parents and babies in Singapore, in line with the channel’s achievements in our international markets.”
BabyTV is backed by Fox International Channels, and distributed on major platforms worldwide. Programmes on the channel are developed by a team of award-winning content developers and leading childhood experts, and designed to promote learning, activity, and parent-child interaction.
The channel airs round-the-clock with a programming schedule that accommodates a family’s daily routine. During the day, BabyTV carries a diverse range of short-form programmes that are engaging, fun, and are rich with songs, rhymes, and simple stories from the world of the baby. At night, BabyTV offers soft classical music accompanied by gently moving visuals, designed to soothe babies to sleep.
BabyTV’s programming line-up is geared to cover the entire spectrum of early learning skills and developmental milestones that a child encounters in his first years. The programme themes on BabyTV include:
Nature and Animals
These programmes help kids discover the fascinating world of animals and nature. Series such as “Baby Farmer”, “Kids & Pets” and “Look Around You” follow the magical meeting between children and baby animals, and explore the fascinating life cycles in nature.
Music and Art
These are delightful programmes that introduce the world of art and the enjoyment of music to kids. Programmes include “Jammers” that features instruments venturing to different countries to meet new instruments, and “Grandpa’s Gallery”, a series that brings to life the wonders of notable works of art.
First Concepts
These are programmes focused on building vocabulary, introducing numbers and counting, and exploring basic concepts. Programmes under this theme include “Louies’ World”, an animated series that introduces the names of familiar objects, and “Oliver”, a series that explores basic concepts in indoor and outdoor settings.
Imagination and Creativity
Programmes in this category are designed to inspire creative thought and imagination. They include “Ping & Pinga”, featuring two penguins who must use their imagination and cooperate in order to play together with an object they find, and “Vegimals”, a 3D-animated world of vegetables that come to life to create baby animals.
Guessing Games
Programmes under this category focus on learning new skills through guessing games. The popular “Tulli” is a purple snail who ventures around the house observing objects from a baby’s point of view. Tulli engages his young audience in a guessing game to determine the objects in this game. Another popular programme in this category is “Kenny & Goorie”, where two kangaroos pull objects from their pockets and ask the audience to guess what they are hiding.
Activity Programmes
These are programmes that feature activities infants can do at home with their parents, and include programmes such as “Baby Chef”, a toddler cooking show, and “Hands Up”, a series with simple physical exercises led by a yoga instructor.
Building Friendships
These programmes encourage communication and social skills. For example, the series “Popiz” illustrates how two friends explore their first feelings and emotions, while the series “Bouncy Balls” shows how four balls work together to overcome obstacles in their playground.
Bedtime
Programmes for bedtime are designed to soothe and relax children in preparation for bed. Such programmes include “Wish Upon a Star” and “Dreams”.
From 25 January, viewers can refer to the On-screen TV Guide or StarHub’s Online Programme Guide for the schedules of BabyTV. Existing StarHub Digital Cable customers can call 1633 to subscribe to BabyTV, while new customers who wish to subscribe to StarHub Digital Cable can call 1630.
