NITV has unveiled a refreshed brand and a revamped schedule.
According to an NITV statement, the new brand look highlights the connection to land and contrasting spaces of Australian Indigenous life.
"It reflects culture in all its diversity – from traditional to contemporary, from youth to Elders, from remote communities to city living, from well-known faces to everyday Australians.
NITV Channel Manager, Tanya Denning-Orman, said: “As Australia continues to debate the identity and place of Indigenous Peoples, there is a growing appetite for trusted Indigenous content and voices.
"As Australia’s free-to-air National Indigenous broadcaster, NITV is uniquely placed to share and celebrate these perspectives.
"We are excited to unveil our new brand, which connects beautifully to First Nations Peoples and welcomes all Australians to embrace our culture, stories and aspirations.”
The new schedule includes documentaries, news and current affairs, live sport, distinctive entertainment and children’s content.
There will be an increased focus on News and Current Affairs, which remains central to the channel’s charter.
Leading the slate is new weeknight series, The Point, with Stan Grant, (from 29 February, 9pm), which combines original journalism, agenda setting interviews, considered analysis, and a distinctive Indigenous approach to storytelling.
The prime-time series investigates cultural, political and social issues and events from a fresh perspective.
There will also be an increased digital news offering alongside the on-air slate throughout the day.
It will be delivered via NITV News Online and social platforms.
The new program will also see the launch of new entertainment sports series, League Nation Live (from March 1 at 7.30pm).
League Nation Live will be hosted by ex-Broncos captain Justin Hodges and Deadly Award and Logie nominee actor Aaron Fa’Aoso, alongside league fanatics Hannah Hollis, Jodan Perry and Nathan Appo.
The 31 week series will be broadcast live from Brisbane, with 90 minutes of entertainment and sports each week.
Content Highlights
Putuparri and the Rainmakers (Documentary)
TX: March 2016
2015 CinéfestOZ award winner, a compelling production that follows the journey of Tom "Putuparri"
Lawford as he and his community fight for their native title claim for the Kurtal lands, in the
Kimberley's Great Sandy Desert region. Caught between two worlds – torn between his life in the
modern world of Fitzroy Crossing and his destiny as a cultural leader of his people.
Living Black (Current Affairs)
TX: March 2016
Australia’s award-winning and longest running Indigenous current affairs show, Living Black,
investigates contemporary issues of concern to Indigenous Australians, through compelling human
stories in a documentary-style format. With Karla Grant, one of Australia’s foremost Indigenous
female media personalities at the helm, the series reports from across Australia, featuring a personal
journey each week.
Marngrook Footy Show (Sport)
TX: March 2016
Successful and unique AFL series will return with all the action and news from the footy season,
featuring big name guests in the studio and celebrating the contribution made by Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islanders throughout the game.
Colour Theory (Documentary)
TX: April 2016
Art series Colour Theory, returns with new host, award-winning artist Tony Albert. This four-part
series features some of the most exciting contemporary artists working in Australia today, including
Frances Belle Parker, Julie and Clive Freeman, Jason Wing and Karla Dickens. Despite their
differences in geography, medium, artistic training, and conceptual concerns, they are united by a
sense of pride and belief in their culture.
Songlines on Screen (Documentary)
TX: May 2016
The Songlines on Screen initiative presents 10 short films from the remote regions of Western,
Northern and Central Australia, giving place to some of the many Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander songlines that are integral to the makeup of Indigenous Australia. Representing Indigenous
people’s ongoing connection to land and culture as told throughout time by the way of creation
songs, the series incorporates the full spectrum of storytelling including dance, song, art, body
painting, and sites of significance.
AWAKEN (Current Affairs)
TX: May 2016
Offering in-depth analysis and discussion of Indigenous issues, NITV’s flagship current affairs
program AWAKEN presents a range of informed Indigenous perspectives and brings together
influential Indigenous voices and smart incisive thinkers to debate matters of importance to
Indigenous Australians.
Servant or Slave (Documentary)
TX: August 2016
An emotional and confronting insight into the domestic servitude forced upon Aboriginal women in
Australia. Stolen as children from their parents and placed in girls training homes, they were trained
as domestic servants: servants who would be absorbed by the new colony and modern industry.
Zach’s Ceremony (Documentary)
TX: September 2016
An everyday Australian kid, caught between two worlds: ancient versus modern – at the heart of this
film is the clash of culture, race and identity. Against the vibrant city of Sydney, Zach is provoked by
racist taunts and finds himself on a self-destructive path fuelled by drugs, alcohol and sex. His
rebellious outbursts challenge his once close relationship with his dad, reaching breaking point when
he is expelled from school. Zach's father believes he needs to be empowered by his culture and
become a man through the ancient rite of initiation.
Shadow Trackers (Factual)
TX: October 2016
A frightening and funny observational documentary series that follows two inquisitive Aboriginal men
who hunt the lands where legends and myths lie and ask the questions we would never dare.
Travelling across the country, they meet with locals, storytellers and elders, investigating ominous
creatures and entities, including the water-creature lurking in South Australia’s Lake Alexandrina and
the Min Min lights in Outback Queensland.