U.S. getting Spanish-language CBeebies

NEW YORK, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- BBC Worldwide Channels announced Wednesday it has established its first wholly owned, Spanish-language channel in the United States.

CBeebies, the BBC-branded channel dedicated to pre-schoolers, will be available through DISH Network, which is available in 13.8 million homes in the United States.

The pay-TV provider will make CBeebies accessible to all subscribers of its DishLATINO package and newly launched DishMEXICO package on Channel 848.

The channel will be a live feed of BBC Worldwide's Latin American version of the channel, which launched in Mexico in August, the BBC and DISH said.

"The introduction of a Spanish version of CBeebies into the U.S. Hispanic market is a momentous achievement for BBC Worldwide Channels in this hugely competitive territory," Darren Childs, managing director of BBC Worldwide Channels, said in a statement. "As well as complementing BBC America, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, it means that we're able to reach out to millions of Americans for whom Spanish is their first language."

Jessica Rodriguez, vice president of Channels Latin America for BBC Worldwide Americas, added that CBeebies "has captured the hearts of millions of children across the globe."

"The channel provides a safe environment in which children can 'learn through play,' and I'm sure it will be as popular with pre-schoolers and their parents in the U.S. Hispanic market as it is in other territories," she said.