Chilean Childhoods and the multiscreen. Novasur digital platform’s contents diversity

Abstract

Digital platforms have become both an opportunity and a challenge for public service media to share their own offer in the convergent scenario. Novasur, children’s television managed by the Consejo Nacional de Television, has been a forerunner by becoming the first and only Chilean digital platform aimed specifically to children with a streaming channel, a video library containing over 2,000 audiovisuals and other educative and media literacy materials. Today under the name CNTV Infantil, must face challenges such as: the transition to digital television, the debate about the public funding for television, and changes in the children’s media consumption associated to the convergence: their access and capability to produce contents worldwide. With the purpose of recognizing the Novasur diversity as a public service media, we describe the contents the platform offers. A content analysis was carried over 2,264 audiovisuals and a qualitative critical analysis of 24 television programs. The principal results show that Novasur presents a diverse image of Chilean childhoods at the multiscreen, considering the protagonist children’s age, gender, ethnic origins, migrant status, among other characteristics, usually excluded in broadcasting television. We conclude that developing strategies to safeguard this public television, such as enhancing the economic resources through international co-production with other Latin-American public broadcasters and assuring the continuity of public funding, will allow to show less visible childhoods and develop a truly participative platform according to international trends.