PBS,BabyTV

Public broadcaster PBS, which recently retooled its video site to make it much easier on the eyes and the mouse, continues to impress by devoting significant creative resources to its online efforts.

The network unveiled two new projects at TCA this week worth noting. In partnership with its local New York affiliate, WNET.org, PBS plans to launch "Need To Know" in May, a broadcast and online news show hybrid.

The idea is to cover stories using multiple mediums that are getting missed as less and less American pick up a newspaper. The property will aggregate news and public affairs content along with offerings from editorial partners in a weekly one hour show produced by WNET.org and via a "supervertical" site at pbs.org.

PBS also continues to up the ante for its online kids properties.

Lifeboat to Mars is a new Flash-based educational game designed by Red Hill Studios that includes an ambitious array of customization features. Watching online video to today's kids is like reading the cereal box for earlier generations.

PBS says kids watched more than 87.5 million video streams across the PBS Kids family of sites last month, a new high for the portal.

BabyTV partners with the Hong Kong Bureau of Education (EDB) to launch a 'guidebook', Growing Together: Making the most of TV for toddlers. The book is designed to help parents make better media relate choices for their kids, as well as how to engage with their kids to get the most out of kid's TV and media.

Created using the results of a survey conducted last summer in Hong Kong by BabyTV, which found that while 90% of parents use screens with their kids most aren't well educated about what makes age appropriate content, the book will be distributed to parents at kindergartens across Hong Kong.