National Indigenous Television
Encyclopedia
National Indigenous Television, commonly referred to as NITV, is an Australia
n television network
broadcasting throughout Australia via satellite.
, the peak Indigenous radio group, lobbied the government to start a new nationwide indigenous television network in the 1980s, however no major political party championed this cause.
In the late 1990s the 'Imparja Info Channel' (also known as "Channel 31") was launched free-to-view on the satellite Optus Aurora
service, providing largely Aboriginal programming direct to homes and via network of BRACS transmitters to remote Aboriginal communities. The Aboriginal programming on this channel later became known as Indigenous Community Television.
In 2004, Imparja stated a desire to run a better funded service, at least within its license area. In the same year, a voluntary NITV Committee was formed and a summit was held in Redfern
, Sydney
. The summit involved a group of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander media professionals and community members committed to the establishment of a national Indigenous broadcasting service.
In 2005 the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts
considered funding an indigenous public broadcaster, and subsequently conducted a review process. Following the conclusion of the report, the Government of Australia
announced $48.5 million in funding for NITV.
In 2007, NITV established a head office in Alice Springs and a television arm in Sydney
. On 13 July 2007 NITV launched, replacing Imparja Info Channel on Optus Aurora and in the remote Aboriginal communities it previously reached. It soon after also became available FTA on Optus D1 to Australia and eastern Papua New Guinea http://www.lyngsat-maps.com/maps/optusd1_aus.html.
NITV announced in September 2007 that it would also launch on Australian subscription television services, and has commenced on 1 November 2007 on Foxtel
and Austar
's satellite service on channel 180, with it becoming available on its cable service soon after. It shows Australian programs and sports like The Last Tasmanian, The Ngurratjuta Lighting Cup, Marngrook Footy Show, Letterbox, Burned Bridge, the annual NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout, etc.
On 30 April 2010, NITV ceased broadcasting on Sydney
's digital television Datacasting service along with Teachers TV, Australian Christian Channel
and the home shopping
channel EXPO
, to make way for community television
station TVS
, which is broadcast on Channel 44.
However, NITV is still available on Foxtel, as well as the Australian Christian Channel.
's HQ in North Ryde, Sydney.
NITV has some programming was carried on Imparja Television
's second channel. as well as local indigenous programmes and Bushvision until Imparja's info channel was ceased broadcasting since 2007.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
broadcasting throughout Australia via satellite.
History
The National Indigenous Radio ServiceNational Indigenous Radio Service
The National Indigenous Radio Service is a satellite program feed available in Australia to community radio stations that are subscribers of the CBAA’s Community Radio Network. The NIRS provides targeted and specialist programming for and by Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander...
, the peak Indigenous radio group, lobbied the government to start a new nationwide indigenous television network in the 1980s, however no major political party championed this cause.
In the late 1990s the 'Imparja Info Channel' (also known as "Channel 31") was launched free-to-view on the satellite Optus Aurora
Optus Aurora
Optus Aurora is a free-to-view satellite television platform in Australia, aimed at providing television and radio services to remote and black spot areas using the Optus C1 and B3 satellites...
service, providing largely Aboriginal programming direct to homes and via network of BRACS transmitters to remote Aboriginal communities. The Aboriginal programming on this channel later became known as Indigenous Community Television.
In 2004, Imparja stated a desire to run a better funded service, at least within its license area. In the same year, a voluntary NITV Committee was formed and a summit was held in Redfern
Redfern, New South Wales
Redfern is an inner-city suburb of Sydney. Redfern is 3 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. The summit involved a group of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander media professionals and community members committed to the establishment of a national Indigenous broadcasting service.
In 2005 the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts
Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (Australia)
The department's strategic policy areas include:* National Broadband Network* Postal and telecommunications policies and programs* Spectrum management* Broadcasting policy* Digital economy* Regional communications* Cybersafety and e-security...
considered funding an indigenous public broadcaster, and subsequently conducted a review process. Following the conclusion of the report, the Government of Australia
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
announced $48.5 million in funding for NITV.
In 2007, NITV established a head office in Alice Springs and a television arm in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. On 13 July 2007 NITV launched, replacing Imparja Info Channel on Optus Aurora and in the remote Aboriginal communities it previously reached. It soon after also became available FTA on Optus D1 to Australia and eastern Papua New Guinea http://www.lyngsat-maps.com/maps/optusd1_aus.html.
NITV announced in September 2007 that it would also launch on Australian subscription television services, and has commenced on 1 November 2007 on Foxtel
Foxtel
Foxtel is an Australian pay television company, operating cable, direct broadcast satellite television and IPTV services. It was formed in 1995 through a joint venture established between Telstra and News Corporation....
and Austar
Austar
Austar is an Australian telecommunications company. Its main business activity is Subscription Television but it is also involved with internet access and mobile phones...
's satellite service on channel 180, with it becoming available on its cable service soon after. It shows Australian programs and sports like The Last Tasmanian, The Ngurratjuta Lighting Cup, Marngrook Footy Show, Letterbox, Burned Bridge, the annual NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout, etc.
On 30 April 2010, NITV ceased broadcasting on Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
's digital television Datacasting service along with Teachers TV, Australian Christian Channel
Australian Christian Channel
The Australian Christian Channel is a Christian channel featured on subscription-based television in Australia. The Australian Christian Channel is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on Foxtel, Austar, Optus, TransACT, and Neighbourhood Cable....
and the home shopping
Home shopping
Home shopping commonly refers to the electronic retailing/home shopping channels industry, which includes such billion dollar television-based and e-commerce companies as HSN, QVC, eBay, ShopNBC, Buy.com, and Amazon.com, as well as traditional mail order and brick and mortar retailers as Hammacher...
channel EXPO
Expo Channel
Expo Channel is an Australian home shopping channel. It is owned by Direct Group Pty Ltd, a marketing and direct sales company based in Sydney, which also owns sister channel TVSN.-History:...
, to make way for community television
Community television
Australia's Community Television is a form of Citizen media much like Public Access Television in the United States and the Community Channel in Canada...
station TVS
Television Sydney
TVS, or Television Sydney , is a free-to-air community television station broadcasting in Sydney, Australia.-History:Transmissions officially commenced on analogue UHF channel 31 in February 2006 after three months of technical trials...
, which is broadcast on Channel 44.
However, NITV is still available on Foxtel, as well as the Australian Christian Channel.
Programming
National Indigenous Television (NITV) also provides a news service, NITV National News, which airs a 15 minute bulletin at 6.30pm, and a 5 minute summary bulletin, 7 days a week. NITV National News is staffed by Indigenous journalists and presenters and includes a political correspondent located at Parliament House in Canberra. The NITV National News studio is taped and based at FoxtelFoxtel
Foxtel is an Australian pay television company, operating cable, direct broadcast satellite television and IPTV services. It was formed in 1995 through a joint venture established between Telstra and News Corporation....
's HQ in North Ryde, Sydney.
NITV has some programming was carried on Imparja Television
Imparja Television
Imparja Television is an Australian television network servicing remote eastern and central Australia, that began broadcasting on 2 January 1988. It is based in Alice Springs, where it has a studio and satellite uplink facility. Notably, it is controlled by Australian Aborigines through ownership...
's second channel. as well as local indigenous programmes and Bushvision until Imparja's info channel was ceased broadcasting since 2007.
Availability
National Indigenous Television broadcasts throughout Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. NITV estimates that 220,000 people have the appropriate equipment to receive their broadcasts.. On 27 October 2008 NITV started broadcasting in Sydney on free to air digital television 'Channel 40'. The service is part of Broadcast Australia's digital television test transmission.See also
- WITBN
- TG4TG4TG4 is a public service broadcaster for Irish language speakers. The channel has been on-air since 31 October 1996 in the Republic of Ireland and since April 2005 in Northern Ireland....
- S4CS4CS4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
- BBC Alba
- Maori TelevisionMaori TelevisionMāori Television is a New Zealand TV station broadcasting programmes that make a significant contribution to the revitalisation of the Māori language and culture . Funded by the New Zealand Government, the station started broadcasting on 28 March 2004 from a base in Newmarket.Te Reo is the...
- Te Reo (TV)Te Reo (TV)Te Reo is a New Zealand TV station broadcasting programmes exclusively in the Māori language with no advertising or subtitles. It also broadcasts special tribal programming and offers particular focus on new programming for the fluent audience....
- NRK Sámi RadioNRK Sámi RadioNRK Sápmi is a Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation unit that produces radio, television, and Internet news and other programs for the Sámi people. The first radio news program in Sami language started in 1946 in Tromsø with Katrine Johnsen as the host...
- SABC
- TITV
- PTSTaiwan Public Television Service FoundationTaiwan Public Television Service Foundation is the first independent public broadcasting institution in Taiwan, which broadcasts the Public Television Service Taiwan...
- APTNAboriginal Peoples Television NetworkAboriginal Peoples Television Network is a Canadian broadcast and cable television network. APTN airs and produces programs made by, for and about Aboriginal Peoples...