FAQ

The APTN logo represents Indigenous identity across Canada through a stylized, modern petroglyph. People may see certain symbols that add layers to the whole image.

• The sun: a new dawn in Indigenous broadcasting
• The eye: a new way of seeing the world
• The person or dancer in motion, holding up the earth/the sun: oneness or closeness with the land

Contact APTN’s audience relations coordinator at [email protected] or toll-free at 1-888-330-2786.

For APTN related media inquiries, please write to [email protected] or contact:

Joëlle Saltel (Bilingual Service)
Manager of Communications
(431) 557-9909
[email protected]

For any questions or concerns about our website, please contact [email protected].

For more information, please consult APTN’s Terms of Use.

Please continue to check our APTN TV Schedule for the most up-to-date information on our programming.

The APTN TV schedule is updated monthly.

APTN airs many shows with descriptive video. Please check our APTN TV schedule for shows marked with the DV icon.

Re-watch many of your favorite shows online at Full Episodes. Complete newscasts of APTN National News are also available for your viewing pleasure.
You can also check out our streaming service, APTN lumi to view our extensive and ever-expanding catalogue of original programming, documentaries, kids’ shows and much more!

The time-frame varies from show-to-show, but most content will usually appear online 24 hours after it airs. Check Full Episodes for the latest information on our programming.

Sharing authentic Indigenous programming is at the heart of what we do. As we continue to evolve as a network, we work tirelessly to share Indigenous perspectives and experiences from around the globe. However, international streaming rights are not currently available for all of our shows. As a result, some of our content is available only to viewers in Canada.

APTN is part of your basic cable/satellite package. Please check your provider’s website for their channel line-up.

APTN features programming reflecting the pride and heritage of First Nations, Inuit and Métis on four channels.

aptn hd airs in ET across Canada and distributed to all major carriers. Offers distinctive true HD programming. Featuring APTN’s signature drama series, documentaries and programming, including wellness and environmental themes from Indigenous perspectives.

aptn e airs in ET from Ontario to Newfoundland. Broadcasts the highest amount of French-language programming hours to the largest Francophone audience in Canada.

aptn w airs in MT from British Columbia to Saskatchewan and in CT in Manitoba. Reaches the cities with the highest urban Indigenous population with specific programming to the western and central language groups.

aptn n airs in CT reaches north of the 60th parallel (Yukon through to Labrador). The channel is exclusive in Northern Canada, servicing a large Inuit audience and provides the highest number of hours in Indigenous languages programming each week.

APTN Live Shows air in ET. For example, a live show airs at 9 p.m. ET in Toronto, 8 p.m. CT in Winnipeg, 7 MT in Calgary and 6 p.m. PT in Vancouver.

APTN currently only has national rights to Canada but some of our programming can be watched online here, Full Episodes.

APTN does not receive government funding for operations, but instead generates revenue through subscriber fees, advertising sales and strategic partnerships. Check out our annual Communiqué or our financial reports from years past here, for detailed financial and funding information.

Other networks around the world offer programming that is reflective of Indigenous cultures. Most of them are members of the World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Network, a global alliance which aims to unify television broadcasters worldwide to retain and grow our Indigenous languages and cultures.

APTN National News launched in 2000 as the first Indigenous television journalism team in Canada and the world.

Today, reporters in bureaus located across the country report on stories that focus on the political and social conversations either ignored, under-reported or misunderstood by mainstream news media, all the while providing award-winning and unprecedented perspective of news for Indigenous Peoples and all Canadians.

With six stand-alone shows, APTN National News provides an unparalleled newscast to the nation every week.

APTN National News provides award-winning news coverage on Indigenous Peoples across Turtle Island. With reporters located nation-wide, APTN National News amplifies the voices of Indigenous Peoples and covers the stories that others won’t. These are our stories, told our way.

Nouvelles Nationales d’APTN is APTN’s first French-language national news program intended for an Indigenous audience. Hosted by Shushan Bacon, the weekly program focuses on First Nations and Inuit communities in Quebec. Nouvelles Nationales d’APTN brings audiences the latest investigations, extended news stories, interviews and community member profiles to help put the weekly news into perspective.

InFocus is APTN’s interactive call-in show that takes the latest news stories and places them under a microscope. Hosted every Wednesday by Melissa Ridgen, InFocus provides an in-depth analysis of the most important Indigenous issues to give viewers the full story. Informative and educational, InFocus examines everything from child welfare, to clean drinking water, to language revitalization and more.

Face to Face is APTN’s sit-down interview show that focuses on the issues affecting Indigenous Peoples in Canada. The program casts a wide net, looking at both urban and rural Indigenous communities to speak with those who are directly impacted.

Nation to Nation is APTN’s in-depth political news show based in Ottawa. Hosted every Thursday by Brett Forester, Nation to Nation follows the latest parliamentary developments, examining how they will affect Indigenous Peoples across Turtle Island. Topical and evocative, the program introduces audiences to the change-makers who are trying to transform Canadian policy.

APTN Investigates is the first Indigenous investigative news program in Canada. Produced by award-winning journalists, APTN Investigates offers hard-hitting investigative reports that expose injustices and uncover the truth for First Nations, Inuit and Métis people. Catch the ground-breaking program every Friday on APTN!

Contact APTN News at [email protected], tell us your story here or connect with us toll free at 1-888-330-2786.

Do you have a story that needs to be told? Tell us your story here! We also welcome you to connect with us at [email protected] or call us toll–free at 1-888-330-2786.

• Calgary: 2019
• Edmonton: 2015, 2017
• Halifax: 2014, 2017
• Iqaluit: 2013
• Montréal: 2017
• Ottawa: 2010, 2017, 2018
• Regina: 2012
• Toronto: 2017, 2018
• Vancouver: 2017
• Yellowknife: 2008, 2017
• Whitehorse: 2009, 2019

APTN’s adaptability amid the global pandemic allowed us to reimagine IDL in a way that prioritized the safety of our communities, so that we could celebrate together, even while apart. From 2020-2021, the nation was brought together through virtual broadcasts in honour of the summer solstice and National Indigenous Peoples Day.
APTN broadcast the first-ever APTN Indigenous Day Live Winter Solstice edition in 2020, bringing the celebration coast-to-coast-to-coast.
APTN Indigenous Day Live Winter Solstice
The broadcast was recorded ahead of the celebrations in Winnipeg, Halifax and Montréal in 2020. APTN Indigenous Day Live 2021:
The multi-platform broadcast was recorded in Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Dartmouth, N.S.

Our audience has various ways to give their feedback. APTN Insiders, an interactive online panel, gives core viewers the opportunity to tell us exactly what they think about the programs we air. Since 2010, this panel has participated in ongoing surveys about APTN programs and initiatives.

Audience members can also choose to give their feedback at any time by phone or email, through APTN Audience Relations at [email protected] or toll free at 1-888-330-2786.

Taken (APTN and CBC co-broadcast), Moosemeat & Marmalade and Mohawk Girls are all hit shows. In general, drama is the most popular genre on the network.

APTN National News and its shows (APTN InFocus, APTN Investigates, APTN Nation to Nation, APTN Face to Face and Nouvelles Nationales d’APTN) are currently the only programs produced in-house at APTN’s headquarters.

When APTN launched in 1999, there were not many Indigenous producers, in fact, there were only six. Since then, APTN is proud to say it has developed strong working relationships and alliances with the Indigenous film and production community. The network continues to work regularly with over 100 Indigenous producers who are supported by an award-winning group of First Nations, Inuit or Métis actors, writers, directors, musicians, editors, cinematographers and more.

APTN shares award-winning television programming by, for and about Indigenous Peoples with Canadians across Turtle Island. Indigenous-specific programming is defined by APTN as programming that has been created by, for and about Indigenous Peoples. APTN programming shares the stories and cultures of Indigenous Peoples among the broader Canadian society, sparking their interest and guiding them down the path of reconciliation.

Over 80% of APTN’s programming is Canadian and is broadcast from coast-to-coast-to-coast through four distinct channels: aptn e, aptn w, aptn n and aptn hd. In addition, our programming is offered in English, French and a variety of Indigenous languages.

The remaining percentage of the broadcast schedule features Indigenous programming from around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Central and South America.

APTN is privileged to be a member of the World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Network (WITBN). WITBN is a global alliance which aims to unify Indigenous television broadcasters worldwide to retain and grow our traditional languages and cultures. In the spirit of sharing, and as a way to enhance all members’ broadcasting schedules, program exchanges are encouraged among members.

Since the network began in 1999, it has always been part of our mission to share and help preserve Indigenous languages across Turtle Island. As a network, we were explicitly mentioned in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action report when it was published in 2015.

We call upon the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, as an independent non-profit broadcaster with programming by, for and about Aboriginal peoples, to support reconciliation, including but not limited to:

1. Continuing to provide leadership in programming and organizational culture that reflects the diverse cultures, languages, and perspectives of Aboriginal peoples.
2. Continuing to develop media initiatives that inform and educate the Canadian public, and connect Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians.

Within the 2020-2021 fiscal year, APTN was proud to have broadcast a variety of programs in the following Indigenous languages: Blackfoot, Coast Salish, Cree, Dene, Inuktitut, Michif, Mi’kmaq and Ojibwe. As we move forward, we wish to provide greater accessibility to this type of programming, both through linear programming and through our streaming service, APTN lumi.

Our Indigenous-language programming includes a variety of genres such as comedy and drama programs, children’s shows (APTN Kids), cooking shows, documentaries and more. Some popular shows include Nunavik Secrets, Takuginai, Qanurli?, Niqitsiat and Anaanaa’s Tent.

As our catalogue on APTN lumi continues to grow, we hope to enrich the lives of all peoples living on Turtle Island, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, with even more varied Indigenous-language programming.

APTN broadcasts approximately 56% of its programming in English, 16% in French and 28% in a variety of Indigenous languages, including but not limited to Inuktitut, Cree, Innu, Ojibway, Dakota, Halkomelem, Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, Northern Tuchtone, Oji-Cree and Mohawk.