BabyFirst Expands Asian Presence with China Launch

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SINGAPORE: HBO Asia, which distributes BabyFirst in Asia, has inked an exclusive multiyear deal that sees the channel’s content launching on You+ Kids, a new children’s VOD service on Beijing You Peng Technology’s interactive TV platform.

BabyFirst’s programming on You+ Kids will become available as of mid-June in HD and dual language options: Mandarin or English audio with Chinese subtitles. Through the network’s “Joy” coloring system, the content will be categorized and programmed to target all aspects of child development, including logic, language, numbers and imagination, and will be adjusted to suit the Chinese family. All BabyFirst programming on You+ Kids will be curated from a library of more than 4,000 episodes, with each title translated and dubbed into Mandarin.

“It’s a proud moment for us to see Youpeng launch BabyFirst’s programming in China,” said Guy Oranim, the CEO of BabyFirst. “Youpeng is an established and innovative TV operator as well as a great partner that truly appreciates the importance of offering quality children’s content for all families and embraces our multicultural approach to babies’ education.

“We are also very delighted with our collaboration with HBO Asia, which is a wonderful partner and extremely helpful in getting BabyFirst new distribution opportunities in Asia Pacific since 2009.”

Jonathan Spink, the CEO of HBO Asia, noted: “Our strong presence in 23 Asian territories and deep knowledge of the region puts HBO Asia in a unique position to connect our partners, benefiting 40 million families across China on Youpeng’s leading interactive platform with BabyFirst’s award-winning selection of localized early childhood education programs.

“This is an extension of HBO Asia’s brand promise to bring the best programming to audiences through the biggest operators in the region.”

Colin Shao, Youpeng’s chairman and CEO, added: “Families have always been Youpeng’s focus and early childhood education is extremely important to Chinese parents. For this reason, Youpeng spent a lot of effort searching for quality content recommended by experts in the field, and found this with BabyFirst, the reputable and trusted brand in early childhood development programs. Through working with HBO Asia and BabyFirst to localize the programming, we hope to provide the best curated child development content platform to kids and parents all across China.”

You+ Kids will be available through Youpeng’s affiliated telecom operators, cable operators, smartTV and set-top box manufacturers, reaching more than 40 million homes in China.