Aboriginal Peoples Television Network

Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) is a national Canadian broadcaster providing Indigenous content for Indigenous and non-Indigenous audiences. APTN’s programs express concerns largely absent from mainstream media and explore the cultures, challenges, and everyday experiences of Indigenous people in Canada and beyond. The network aims to serve a general audience while still prioritizing Indigenous perspectives and cultural production. APTN demonstrates a unique model that can inform Indigenous media production globally. This entry discusses the history of APTN, its programming, and its role in public discourse and in Indigenous cultural production.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) granted a license for APTN in 1999 following the success in the North of its predecessor, Television Northern Canada (TVNC). TVNC, Canada’s first Indigenous network, had proven there was ...