Aboriginal Platform For All Canadians

Established on September 1, 1999, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) is the first national Aboriginal television network in the world. Based in Winnipeg Manitoba, the station’s programming is by, for and about Aboriginal Peoples, to share with all Canadians and viewers around the world.

The station provides a great platform for First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples to showcase their history, aspirations and culture with all Canadians. The diversity of the Aboriginal people is evident in documentaries, news magazines, dramas, entertainment specials, children’s series, cooking shows and education programs that APTN showcases.

APTN offers an unprecedented opportunity for Aboriginal talent including producers, directors, actors, writers and media professionals to create ground-breaking, reflective and pertinent programming for Canadian viewers. 84% of APTN programming originates in Canada, with 56% of the programs broadcast in English, 16% in French and 28% in a variety of Aboriginal languages.

Many Canadians appreciate the work that APTN is doing in celebrating and broadcasting Aboriginal programming. A poll conducted by Pollara Research shows that 68% of Canadians would be willing to pay a 15-cent increase in their monthly cable bill to receive an Aboriginal network.

APTN seeks to preserve the language and foster the culture of all Aboriginals. In an APTN reality series ‘Back In the Day: On the Mighty Fraser’ a social experiment takes six natives from their urban environment and puts them out in the bush in order to experience what it was like to live five hundred years ago. Under the guidance of an instructor, they’re taught the basic steps they’ll have to take to survive while at the same time dealing with their new social circle, and the withdrawal of their modern comforts. Back In the Day is an opportunity for those involved and watching to not only learn where they came from, but where they are now.