National Indigenous Television

National Indigenous Television
Launched	13 July 2007
Owned by	Government of Australia; via NITV Limited
Picture format	576i (SDTV)
Slogan	Telling Your Stories
Headquarters	St. Leonards, New South Wales, Australia
Replaced	ICTV
Website	nitv.org.au
Availability
Terrestrial
Analogue	Tuned to various frequencies
Digital	Channel 40
Satellite
Optus C1	Transponder 6
Optus D1	Transponder 15
Foxtel	Channel 180
Austar	Channel 180
Cable
Foxtel	Channel 180
TransACT	Channel 502

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"NITV" redirects here. For the current satellite network for Iranian expatriates broadcasting from the United States, see National Iranian Television (US). For the first Iranian television organization, see National Iranian Radio & Television.

National Indigenous Television, commonly referred to as NITV, is an Australian television network broadcasting throughout Australia via satellite.

[edit] History

The National Indigenous Radio Service, 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.^[1] 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.^[2]

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 [1].

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.^[3]

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.

[edit] 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 Foxtel'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.

[edit] 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.^[4]. 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.^[5]