Indigenous Community Television (ICTV)

ICTV is a public company limited by guarantee.  Its members are made up exclusively of Indigenous people living in remote regions of Australia. ICTV is a collective, and through its collective membership supplies content produced by remote Indigenous video makers to remote Indigenous communities.

The mission of ICTV  is to ensure that remote Indigenous communities holding community broadcast licences are able to exercise their right to produce and select their own content for local broadcast. 

ICTV firmly believes that the needs and interests of Indigenous people living in remote regions of Australia are unique, and are best met by the people themselves.  The retention of living Indigenous languages and culture is paramount to its mission. The priorities of people living in remote communities are very much based on the retention of language and culture, coupled with economic independence.

In 2007 Griffith University's School of Arts, Media and Culture, launched its report on Australian community broadcasting Community Media Matters, by Associate Professor Michael Meadows; Dr Susan Forde; Dr Kerrie Foxwell, Dr Jacqui Ewart and Indigenous researchers Mr Derek Flucker and Ms Christine Morris.

The report noted the special significance of ICTV:

ICTV represents the most significant advance for remote Indigenous communities in the past 20 years in terms of its potential to contribute to the maintenance of languages and cultures, boosting self-esteem and making a significant contribution to reinforcing a sense of identity amongst its diverse audiences. It has already begun to achieve this, according to the audience feedback we have included in our study.

On July 13 2007, with the launch of the new National Indigenous Television (NITV), Indigenous Community Television (ICTV) lost access to Imparja’s Channel 31 carrier. For the previous six years Imparja's Channel 31 delivered ICTV free-to-air in more than 150 remote Aboriginal communities and uncounted homes with satellite receivers.

The participant BRACS services outlined their concerns regarding the termination of ICTV's access to Imparja's 31 Channel in an open letter to the minister. http://propagatingmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/open-letter-final.pdf
This letter was summarised in an opinion piece for ABC online. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/07/20/1983332.htm

ICTV are currently looking for ways to continue to provide their unique service.

Postal Address: PO Box 4966,
Alice Springs
NT 0871,
Australia

Phone: +61 8 8952 3118
Fax: +61 9 8125 5985