Contenidos infantiles convergentes, identidad latinoamericana y los desafíos de las televisiones públicas

Before the pandemic crisis, the irruption of the convergent scenario and the television digitalization forced the Latin American public television to develop strategies that consider new forms of audiovisual consumption and to make the resources profitable, such as the development of digital platforms and co-production with independent creators. Pakapaka, TVN and Señal Colombia coproduced children television programs with Chilean filmmakers that achieved a high audience and received acknowledgements at audiovisual festivals for their quality, their contribution to the local identity and Latin American own nature. Based on a content analysis carried out on tv shows aimed to children, present in both Chilean public digital platforms: CNTV Infantil (former Novasur) and TVN Kids, this study describes the collaborative model from the media literacy perspective, with emphasis on the diversity of children’s programs, considering their origins, acquisition, financing, and characteristics of the protagonist’s characters. The results indicate that the contents are varied and that the presence of female protagonists, native peoples and migrants, although incipient, constitutes a contribution to the identity of the continent’s childhoods. In conclusion, it is essential that public service television can count on permanent funding that promotes the realization of relevant content for children, in accordance with their public service mission, especially in today pandemic crisis and confinement.