Reading Rainbow reboot coming to Apple TV
Following a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign, LeVar Burton's Reading Rainbow will soon hit an Apple TV near you. The original series aired on PBS from 1983 to 2006, promoting reading and exploration to countless kids and young people. LeVar and Co. will now use proceeds from their Kickstarter campaign -- their original goal of US$1 million was dwarfed by the $5 million they took in -- to launch the show on Apple TV, Android, Xbox and more.
Burton says that, in 2014, television isn't the best fit for the project. "...in 2014 TV is not that place anymore. Now, we're trying to reach a new generation of digital natives." The show, when launched (no date has been given) will be aimed at kids aged three to nine years. That's absolutely a demographic that has never experienced life without ubiquitous access to the Internet.
I loved Reading Rainbow when I was a kid, especially the "field trips." Good luck to LeVar and everyone involved. They've got a massive project ahead of them.
