kids encyclopedia robot

Aboriginal Peoples Television Network facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Aboriginal Peoples Television Network
APTN Colour-300x300.svg
Country Canada
Broadcast area National
Headquarters Winnipeg, Manitoba
Programming
Language(s) English, French
Picture format 1080i HDTV
(downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
Owner Aboriginal Peoples Television Network Inc.
History
Launched January 21, 1992; 33 years ago (January 21, 1992)
Former names Television Northern Canada (1992–1999)
Availability
Terrestrial
Whitehorse, YT CHWT-TV 10
Yellowknife, NT CHTY-TV 11
Other Areas See Below
APTN building on Portage Avenue in Winnipeg, Manitoba
APTN building on Portage Avenue in Winnipeg, Manitoba

The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) is a group of special TV channels in Canada. It is based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. These channels show programs made by or about Indigenous peoples in Canada. This includes shows about their art, culture, documentaries, entertainment, and news.

APTN started in 1992 as Television Northern Canada (TVNC). It first broadcast in Canada's northern areas. In 1999, TVNC received a special license from the CRTC (Canada's TV and radio regulator). This license meant that all TV providers across Canada had to include APTN. It then relaunched as APTN on September 1, 1999. APTN used to be available through regular TV antennas, especially in Northern Canada and Inuit communities.

As of September 2024, APTN has two main channels. The first channel, called APTN, shows programs in English and French. The second channel, called APTN Languages, mainly broadcasts programs in Indigenous languages. These shows always have subtitles in either English or French.

The Story of APTN

How APTN Started

In 1980, a report called the Therrien Committee Report was released. This report said that Indigenous peoples in the North wanted their own media. It also said the government should help support Indigenous cultures and languages through broadcasting. The report suggested ways to help Northern Indigenous people use TV and radio.

The Canadian government then created the Northern Broadcasting Policy in 1983. This policy set out rules for creating TV and radio shows made by Northern Indigenous people. It included a program called the Northern Native Broadcast Access Program. This program provided money to create radio and TV shows in First Peoples' languages. These shows were meant to share their cultural views.

Soon, people realized there were problems with how these programs would be sent out by satellite. In 1987, Indigenous and Northern broadcasters met in Yellowknife. They decided to form a group to create a TV service for all Northern areas. In 1988, the Canadian government gave them $10 million to start this network. The plan for this new service, first called Television Northern Canada (TVNC), was approved in 1991. The network officially began broadcasting on January 21, 1992. It was available through regular TV signals in the Canadian territories and far northern parts of the provinces.

Becoming a National Channel

TVNC
The logo when the channel was called Television Northern Canada (TVNC)

After broadcasting in the North for several years, TVNC asked the CRTC to change its license. They wanted to be broadcast all across Canada. They explained how special and important a national Indigenous TV service would be. On February 22, 1999, the CRTC gave TVNC a license to be a national TV network.

On September 1, 1999, the network changed its name to the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN). It was then added to all TV providers across Canada. APTN was the first national public TV network for Indigenous peoples. This license gave APTN the same importance as big channels like CBC Television. All Canadian cable and satellite TV companies had to include APTN in their basic channel packages. However, some cable companies placed it on higher channels. This made it hard for older TVs to find it. The CRTC thought about making companies move APTN to a lower channel, but decided not to in 2005.

In March 2008, APTN launched a high-definition (HD) channel called APTN HD. At first, APTN HD showed the exact same programs as APTN's regular channel. In May 2017, the CRTC changed APTN's license. This allowed APTN HD to show programs at different times, as long as most of the programs had already been shown on APTN's regular channels. This change gave the network more freedom to reach more viewers with its HD channel.

In 2019, APTN launched APTN Lumi. This is an online streaming service where people can watch APTN programs on the internet and on smart TVs.

Two Channels for More Languages

In June 2023, APTN suggested a new way to organize its channels. This was part of renewing its CRTC license. They proposed having two national channels in high definition. One channel would mostly show programs in English and French. The other channel, APTN Languages, would mainly show programs in at least 15 Indigenous languages. It would also show some English and French news. APTN said this new plan would let them show a lot more Indigenous language programs. They could offer up to 157.5 hours per week. This would give more airtime to language groups that didn't have much before.

In May 2024, the CRTC approved these changes. They started on September 1, 2024. Now, APTN runs two channels: APTN and APTN Languages. The APTN channel shows English and French programs. The CRTC requires at least 20 hours of French programming each week. Programs in Indigenous languages are now on APTN Languages. This channel shows at least 100 hours of Indigenous language programs each week in at least 15 different languages. To help with this new service, the CRTC also approved a small increase in the fee TV providers pay to carry APTN.

What You Can Watch on APTN

APTN mainly shows programs that highlight Indigenous peoples in Canada. This includes shows about their arts and culture. You can also find documentaries and docuseries (shows that follow real events). There are also drama and comedy series, plus news and current events programs. Sometimes, the channel also broadcasts popular movies.

APTN mostly broadcasts programs in English, French, and Indigenous languages. Some of these languages include Cree and Inuktitut. All programs in Indigenous languages have subtitles in either English or French.

Here are some of the programs that have been shown on APTN:

  • Acting Good
  • APTN National News
  • APTN Contact
  • Arbor Live!
  • Bears' Lair
  • Blackstone
  • Bro'Town
  • Bones of Crows
  • Bordertown
  • By The Rapids
  • The Candy Show
  • Cashing In
  • Caution: May Contain Nuts
  • Chuck and the First Peoples Kitchen
  • Cooking With the Wolfman
  • Cultural Craftsmanship: Moccasins
  • D dot H
  • Dr. Savannah: Wild Rose Vet
  • The Deerskins
  • Delmer & Marta
  • DJ Burnt Bannock
  • Don't Even
  • First Across the Line
  • First Contact
  • First Music and Arts
  • Finding Our Talk: A Journey Through Aboriginal Languages (the first series in Mohawk language)
  • Friday Night Thunder
  • Fugget About It
  • Future History
  • Get Your Fish On
  • Gespe'gewa'gi: The Last Land
  • Ghost Hunters of the Grand River
  • Going Native
  • Guides and Gurus
  • Guilt Free Zone
  • Hard Rock Medical
  • Haudenosaunee Canoe Journey
  • Horse Warriors
  • Icons
  • Inconvenient Indian
  • Jason
  • Little Big Community
  • Little Bird
  • Maamuitaau
  • Making A Scene
  • Medicine Woman
  • Merchants of the Wild
  • Michif Country
  • Mixed Blessings
  • Moccasin Flats
  • Mohawk Girls
  • Moosemeat & Marmalade
  • My TV
  • Nations at War
  • Native New Yorker
  • nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up
  • North of 60
  • North of North
  • Northern Exposure
  • On The Front Line
  • One Dish One Spoon
  • One With Nature
  • La piqure
  • Petroglyphs to Pixels
  • Pow Wow Chow
  • Queen of the Oil Patch
  • Querencia
  • Quest Out West: Wild Food
  • Rabbit Fall
  • Red Earth Uncovered
  • Rez Bluez
  • Secret History
  • Shadow of the Rougarou
  • Shortland Street
  • Skindigenous
  • Spirit Talker
  • Star Wars (Anangong Miigaading), A New Hope
  • Storytellers in Motion
  • Tales from the Rez
  • The Feather News
  • The Other Side
  • The Sharing Circle
  • Treaty Road
  • Tribal
  • Warriors: TKO
  • Water Worlds
  • Wentworth
  • Wild Archaeology
  • Wild Rose Vets
  • Yukon Harvest

Shows for Kids

APTN has many shows for children, mainly as part of its APTN Kids block. This block is for kids aged 3-11.

Original APTN Kids Shows

Sports on APTN

On March 24, 2019, APTN showed a NHL hockey game between the Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes. This game had commentary in Plains Cree. It was part of the Rogers Hometown Hockey series. As a special event, that week's Hometown Hockey broadcast was even held in Enoch Cree Nation 135. On December 13, 2019, APTN and Rogers announced they would broadcast six Hometown Hockey games each season in Cree for the next three years. After a break, these broadcasts returned in 2022. Most of these games were from Hockey Night in Canada. APTN also started adding hockey broadcasts in Inuktitut in 2025.

APTN's Budget

In 2023, APTN had a yearly budget of $47 million.

How APTN Reaches Viewers

APTN used to have four different ways of sending out its programs. These included separate channels for Eastern, Western, and Northern Canada, plus a national HD channel. The original TVNC signal was available over-the-air in far northern areas. This included its main station CHTY-TV in Yellowknife and many smaller rebroadcasters.

On August 31, 2011, APTN stopped using 39 of its smaller over-the-air transmitters. These were in the Northwest Territories and Yukon. Even though Canada was switching to digital TV, these transmitters were not required to change. APTN's license renewal in 2013 did not include any over-the-air transmitters.

In November 2016, APTN's CEO, Jean La Rose, said that APTN was talking about bringing its service to the United States. He noted that Native Americans were very interested in programs that related to their communities.

Advertising Rules

APTN is careful about the advertisers it chooses. They make sure to avoid using stereotypes or common, often untrue, ideas about people.

Other Companies Started by APTN

APTN created several other media companies. In 2019, these companies became a new, separate company called Dadan Sivunivut. This new company was created to manage and grow the businesses that APTN had started.

First Peoples Radio

On June 14, 2017, a company owned by APTN, called First Peoples Radio Inc. (FPR), received licenses. These licenses were from the CRTC to run radio stations in Toronto and Ottawa. These stations were meant for Indigenous people living in those cities. The Ottawa station broadcasts on 95.7 FM, and the Toronto station uses 106.5 FM. FPR had also asked for licenses in Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver, but the CRTC gave those to other groups.

First Peoples Radio Inc. had planned for its two radio stations, CFPT-FM in Toronto and CFPO-FM in Ottawa, to start broadcasting by June 2018. However, they delayed the launch until October 24, 2018. FPR shares programs with other Indigenous radio groups.

The stations officially started broadcasting on October 24, 2018, at noon. They are known as Elmnt FM. In 2019, the ownership of First Peoples Radio was moved to Dadan Sivunivut.

Expanding to the United States

APTN launched a similar channel in the United States called All Nations Network. This channel has been part of Dadan Sivunivut since 2019. APTN had already shown programs made in the United States. For example, they aired the documentary film Skydancer. This film was about the Akwesasne community and its ironworkers. It was shown on both APTN and PBS in the United States in October 2012.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Aboriginal Peoples Television Network para niños

  • CBC North
  • World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Network
  • Aboriginal Canadian personalities
kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Aboriginal Peoples Television Network Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.