The global expansion of children’s television: a case study of the adaptation of Sesame Street in Spain

Abstract

The landscape of children’s programming is changing because of the increased exportation of children’s television programs created in the USA. Networks have been aggressively marketing programs to an international audience through individual program sales and satellite network expansion. Some see problems as a result of the potential shift in cultural norms and values in areas where these programs are broadcast. An important alternative to this exportation is the co‐production process pioneered by Sesame Workshop. The results of a case study into the localization process of Sesame Street in Spain indicate that the production of Barrio Sésamo/Barri Sésam can be looked to as an example of not only the co‐production process, but also as exemplifying a process of ‘glocalization’ whereby a Spanish program has been influenced by both global and local realities imbedded in the program. The negotiation of what it means to be Spanish is constantly pushed against a global template, even in a program for preschool‐age children.