Discovery Kids (Latin American TV channel)

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Discovery Kids
Discovery Kids Logo 2021-Presente.webp
The channel's current logo since 8 April 2021, depicting a green lowercase K with a yellow D enclosed on a blue sphere.
CountryLatin America
Brazil
Puerto Rico
Broadcast areaLatin America
Brazil
Puerto Rico
HeadquartersMiami, Florida
Programming
Language(s)Spanish
Portuguese[a]
English[b]
Picture format1080i HDTV (NTSC/PAL)
(downscaled to 16:9 480i/576i for the channel's SDTV feeds)
Ownership
OwnerDiscovery, Inc. (pending merge approval with WarnerMedia to form Warner Bros. Discovery)
Sister channelsDiscovery Turbo
Investigation Discovery
Discovery Home & Health
History
Launched1 November 1996; 25 years ago (1996-11-01)
Former namesDiscovery Kids Channel (1996–97)
Links
WebsiteDiscovery Kids Latin America
Discovery Kids Brazil
Availability
Streaming media
OneLink CommunicationsChannel 60

Discovery Kids (stylized as DK) is a Latin American pay television channel owned by Discovery, Inc. and headquartered in Miami, Florida, which started as a programming block on the Latin American version of Discovery Channel. It launched on 1 November 1996, with programming aimed for older children and prescholler. It was owned by Discovery Networks Latin America and remains airing alongside Discovery Kids India. The entire programming is in either Spanish or Portuguese, depending on the region.

The channel is divided into six live feeds: Pan-regional, Colombia, Southern (plus an Chilean subfeed), Mexico and Brazil, each with their own HD simulcast feeds. Until 2019, the channel had an HD version of the channel with different schedule broadcasting to all Latin America. The network is also available in the Caribbean and Puerto Rico, alongside several islands in the Americas, such as Barbados, Grenada, and Jamaica. Discovery Kids is a 24/7 children's channel, with no nighttime block in between.

The channel was known in the mid-2000s to 2010s for its mascots, most notably, Doki and Mundi, which received merchandise and music videos, alongside a CD named Cantemos con Doki.[c] The channel was also known in the mid-2010s to 2020s for airing Peppa Pig, becoming a major trend in Latin America. In 2003, analytics reveal that the channel's audience was 56% female and 44% male. Adult female aged between 25 and 49 years are also part of the audience, representing a total of 49%, as they are commonly the parents of the channel's main demographic.

Discovery Kids became a widely remembered channel by people aged between 10 and 40 years, spanning fanart, fan videos, and fan communities. The 2016 and 2021 eras received negative reception by fans, criticizing for its removal of the channel's mascots and the overexpusure of Peppa Pig.

History[]

The Beginning Era (1996-2002)[]

On 1 November 1996, the channel launched and programming was aimed for older children and preschoolers. Preschool programming aired in the mornings, while shows for older children aired in the afternoons-evenings. The channel was originally named Discovery Kids Channel, but was shortened to simply Discovery Kids in official promos and bumpers. Its slogan was "Discovery Kids is not an infants channel, it's a kids channel!".[d] The logo originally showed a white stick figure jumping on a red background.

In 1998, Discovery Kids changed its name, with the word "channel" getting dropped. The logo got updated, now being a planet with a ring underneath it. Its new slogan "Baterías incluidas"[e] made its debut.

The Rainbow Era (2002-2005)[]

In August 2002, preschool programming began airing around the clock on weekdays, while shows for older children only aired around the clock on weekends. The channel's current slogan "¡Aquí, en Discovery Kids!"[f] also made its debut.

In January 2003, the channel changed its programming to target preschoolers, removing all shows for older children, which furthermore, changed its demographic to children under 8 years of age.[1]

In the early-to-mid 2000s, a website for the channel was launched, titled Tu Discovery Kids.[g][2]

The Preschool Era[h] (2005-2009)[]

In February 2005, Doki, the channel's mascot, was introduced, originally appearing in promos.[3][4] Several prototypes of the mascot were made on October 28, 2004.[5][6] His name is an abbreviation of the English term "A Dog for Kids".[7] It wasn't until March 2005 that the channel itself rebranded, which furthermore, also turned Doki into a standalone mascot. In 2006, the Doki Descubre shorts began airing on the channel, airing until the year 2010.

In 2008, a new mascot was introduced, named Mundi. Originally made to celebrate Earth Day, it later became one of the standalone mascots for the channel.

The Park Era (2009-2013)[]

In 2009, the channel received a new look. The logo now depicts a green K with a yellow D enclosed in a blue sphere, alongside a yellow ring in the K.[8][9][10] The channel also created specials based on several themes, such as ambience, reading, and sports. The programming was also changed to focus on shows for children with up to 10 years of age. Newer mascots also made their first appearance: Oto, Fico, Anabella, and Gabi. The change originally appeared in Mexico, Argentina, and Chile on March 30, before expanding to other regions on May 30, and eventually expanded to Discovery Familia in the year 2010.

In December 2009, a TV series based on its mascots, named Las Aventuras de Doki,[i] premiered, being produced by Nelvana in collaboration with Discovery Kids. The series only lasted two episodes, before getting cancelled.

The World Era (2013-2016)[]

In April 2013, another TV series based on its mascots, simply titled Doki, premiered, being produced by Portfolio Entertainment.[11] The channel got rebranded as well, with the logo now being in 3D, rather than flat 2D. A high-definition feed also launched, with the D in the logo being replaced with the initials HD.[12]

In September 2014, the entire channel started airing entirely in 16:9. Back then, the channel mostly aired in 4:3, with some 16:9 programs airing since the rise of HD TVs.

On 5 October 2015, Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures premiered on this channel, which was also the first program for older children to be premiered after January 2003, originally carrying a TV-Y7 rating in the United States. It was also the only TV show on the channel to be based on an arcade game.

On 2 January 2017, Angry Birds Toons premiered, making it the only TV show on the channel to be based on a mobile game.[13]

The New Era (2016-2021)[]

On 1 April 2016, programming for older children returned after a 13-year hiatus for afternoons and evenings while preschool programming continues airing in the mornings. The logo was updated as well, replacing the "D" sphere with a speech bubble and removing the ring around the K. Doki characters were also removed from the bumpers, though its TV series is still airing until December 2019. The era saw negative reception from fans, to which most of them are often referred to as a "nostalgiafag", a pormentau of the word "nostalgia" and the racial slur "fag".

During this era, the channel saw an overexposure of British TV show Peppa Pig, which premiered the same time as Doki. Following this, Peppa Pig-related marathons and material were made.

In December 2019, TV shows from the channel's older eras, such as Doki and The Backyardigans, stopped airing.

Current Era (2021-present)[]

On 8 April 2021, the channel received a new logo, designed by Spanish design agency Dtmg.tv Studio, with the "D" speech bubble being changed back to a sphere, and the K becoming more lowercase.[14] Children also appear in promos.

On 21 April 2021, a 24-hour marathon of Peppa Pig aired on the channel.[15] It received negative reception from fans.

Discovery Kids Plus[]

Discovery Kids Plus is a service that includes games and videos, available both as a website and mobile app. It originally launched in the early-to-mid 2000s, with the app launching in the early-to-mid 2010s. A Brazilian version was also made, with all of its content being translated into Portuguese.

One common feature of the site are its online games, which originally required the Flash Player plugin.

The site offered games, videos, interactive books, and activities. At launch, the website was titled Tu Discovery Kids,[j] with the app being simply titled Discovery Kids at launch.

In March 2005, the website received a major update. New games based on the channel's mascot were made, such as Saltando con Doki.[k][l]

In 2008, the website received another major update. A video player was added to its home page, alongside a Flash-based interface and the addition of minigames. Accounts were also implemented.

In 2011, the website received yet another major update, now featuring a 3D logo casting shadows in the banner. During this era, the app launched.

Between February 2012 and 2018, a webpage appeared on the website, title Kids en Control.[m] Kids en Control allows children to vote for shows. The show that have the most votes would air via marathons on Saturdays.

In April 2013, the website received a minor update. The background has been changed to the one from the new look at the time. The background has three variants depending on the hour set in the child's computer: day, noon, and night.

In July 2015, the website and app got rebranded as Discovery Kids Play, featuring the addition of protected content that could only be accessed via an account, as well as HTML5-based games.[16] Web browsers with Flash Player support are still able to play the old site's Flash games. The tudiscoverykids.com domain remained in use until late 2016, when it was changed to discoverykidsplay.com, originally used as a redirect following the launch of Discovery Kids Play.

In December 2019, the website and app adopted its current name, with a new design.[17] The new website is also geo-blocked, being exclusive to Latin America. All of the Flash games from the old sites were also removed due to Adobe Flash Player's end-of-life. The Brazilian website was also updated to redirect to the Spanish website once accessed outside of Brazil.

Audience composition[]

According to TGI Latina in 2003, most of the audience who received the channel were female, which represents a total of 56%, with the male audience at 44%.[18] Adult female aged between 25 and 49 years were also involved, as they are commonly the parents of children who guide at watching the channel, representing a total of 49%.[19]

Legacy[]

In 2021, fake VHS recordings from the channel became a minor trend in Latin America. On 31 October 2021, a project meant to revive the 2008-2011 website was announced, named Retro Kids, created by IanRandomer and Co-Created by Shimi Doki and his team.[20] Although initially cancelled, it was revived on 21 November 2021.[21] The app was based on Ungoogled Chromium, which itself, is based on the open-source Chromium web browser. On 9 December 2021, the website was updated to use WordPress.[22] Before development on Retro Kids started, IanRandomer and Shimi Doki was knowned for finding and archiving lost media based on the australian show HI-5 and the channel's primary mascots.

Programming[]

Main article: List of programs broadcast by Discovery Kids (Latin American TV channel)

Feeds[]

The channel is broadcast in 5 different feeds, plus one subfeed.[23] Each feed also has its own HD simulcast feed since 2013.

  • Pan-regional feed: broadcasting to most Latin American countries, including the Caribbean. It uses the Colombian (UTC-5) and Argentine (UTC-3) time zones. And Peru.
  • Mexican feed: broadcasting exclusively to that country, with different schedule and TV series. It uses the Mexico City time zone (UTC-6/UTC−5 DST) .
  • Colombian feed: broadcasting exclusively to that country, with different schedule. It uses the Bogotá time zone (UTC−5).
  • Southern feed: broadcasting to Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, with different schedule. It uses the Buenos Aires time zone (UTC−3).
    • Chilean subfeed: available in Chile with local advertisement. During winter time, it delays programming by one hour to match the country's time zone (turning itself into a +1 timeshift feed). It uses the Santiago time zone (UTC-4/UTC-3 DST). It is also an NTSC subfeed, as the original southern feed originally broadcast in the PAL-N television standard.
  • Brazilian feed: broadcasting exclusively to that country, with different schedule and TV series. Broadcasting in Portuguese, it uses the Brasilia time zone (UTC-3).

Live events[]

  • La Ronda de Discovery Kids:[n] The channel organized live events, named La Ronda de Discovery Kids,[o] where Doki, the channel's mascot, along with characters from the series visited some cities and made performances, originally made to celebrate the channel's 10th anniversary in 2006.[24] The last event with that name was in 2008. The channel still organizes events on Latin American cities from time to time. In 2009, a similar project, named Exploración,[p] which dealt with the environment, was made. In 2010, a similar event, named En sus marcas, listos, ya,[q] was made in Mexico.[10] In July, August, and September 2012, a new event, named Expreso Discovery Kids,[r] was made in city of Mexico and Venezuela.[25]

See also[]

  • Discovery Familia
  • Discovery Kids (Australia)
  • Discovery Kids (Canada)
  • Discovery Kids (UK)
  • Discovery Kids (India)

Notes[]

  1. ^ Brazilian feed only
  2. ^ Via SAP
  3. ^ Literally We Sing with Doki
  4. ^ Spanish: ¡Discovery Kids no es un canal infantil, es un canal para niños!
  5. ^ Literally Batteries included.
  6. ^ Literally "Here, on Discovery Kids!"
  7. ^ Literally Your Discovery Kids
  8. ^ Also known as "the Doki era".
  9. ^ Literally The Adventures of Doki
  10. ^ Literally Your Discovery Kids
  11. ^ Literally Jumping with Doki
  12. ^ Known in Brazil as Pulando com Doki
  13. ^ Literally Kids in Control
  14. ^ Originally, "Ciranda Discovery Kids" in Brazil.
  15. ^ Literally The Discovery Kids Tour
  16. ^ Literally Exploration
  17. ^ Literally In your marks, get set, go!
  18. ^ Literally Discovery Kids Express

References[]

  1. ^ "Discovery Kids Latin America bulks up on preschool to gain ground in kids pay-TV". Kidscreen. May 1, 2003. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  2. ^ "Tu Discovery Kids". Archived from the original on 24 March 2004. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Doki, una imagen nueva para Discovery Kids" [Doki, a new image for Discovery Kids]. El Tiempo (in Spanish). April 13, 2005. Archived from the original on August 27, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  4. ^ Soy Doki Bonus Track #01 - Primer aparición (Video) (in Spanish). October 13, 2021.
  5. ^ Soy Doki - Mis Prototipos - Capitulo 01 (Video) (in Spanish). September 19, 2021.
  6. ^ Soy Doki Bonus Track #03 - Prototipos de Id's (Video) (in Spanish). October 18, 2021.
  7. ^ Soy Doki - El Origen de mi nombre - Capitulo 02 (Video) (in Spanish). September 23, 2021.
  8. ^ G. Manuel, Alberto (7 April 2009). "Mi Discovery Kids es su Discovery Kids". Brand New. Armin. Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  9. ^ "Discovery Kids actualiza su imagen". Ideas Frescas. April 8, 2009. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Discovery Kids renueva su imagen". TotalMedios. March 29, 2009. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  11. ^ "Doki: La serie llega a Discovery Kids con una serie animada con nuevos amigos". Estereofonica. March 4, 2013. Archived from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  12. ^ "Discovery Kids HD se lanza en Latinoamérica". www.prensario.net (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2016-12-31. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  13. ^ "Angry Birds Toons llega a la pantalla de Discovery Kids para entretener a grandes y chicos". Latam Noticias (in Spanish). 2016-12-30. Archived from the original on 2021-12-05. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
  14. ^ "Dkids New Brand - Toolkit 2021". Behance. April 8, 2021. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  15. ^ "Peppa Pig: 24 horas seguidas este fin de semana". Estereofonica. April 21, 2021. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  16. ^ "Discovery Latinoamérica anuncia el lanzamiento de Discovery Kids Play". Multipress. September 29, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ "DISCOVERY CONSOLIDA SU POSICIONAMIENTO EN EL SEGMENTO DE APP PARA NIÑOS". Totalmedios. June 22, 2020. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  18. ^ TGI Latina, Discovery Kids llega a los niños más pequeños de la región y a sus madres, 2003
  19. ^ IBOPE Media, Filtro: Multinacional; Cable 4-11, 2003
  20. ^ Retro Kids - Trailer (Video) (in Spanish). October 31, 2021.
  21. ^ Como Instalar Retro Kids - WINDOWS 11/10/7/8/8.1 (Video) (in Spanish). 21 November 2021.
  22. ^ "Hola Mundo! :D". Retro Kids. December 9, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ^ "Programming". Discovery Kids Plus (in Spanish). Archived from the original on October 15, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  24. ^ "RONDA DISCOVERY KIDS, EN COLOMBIA". El Tiempo (Colombia). 2007-04-24. Archived from the original on 2021-12-05. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  25. ^ "Expreso Discovery Kids en Galerias Valle Oriente". Archived from the original on 2021-12-20. Retrieved September 6, 2016.

External links[]

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