ICTV Mid-year Update 2026

Welcome ICTV members, contributors, supporters, sponsors and partners to our mid-year update!

Over the past six months, ICTV has been on the road across Central Australia and beyond! We've shared stories that celebrate culture, community, and connection. From the DREAMD Football Academy Grand Final at Atitjere to the live energy of Barunga Festival, we’ve brought these events - and more - to our communities. We've also had a LOT of visitors, which is a reminder that if you're in Mparntwe/Alice Springs, do drop by and say hello.

It’s also been a period of change and growth, with ICTV welcoming a new CEO, Joshua Tranter and strengthening our focus on Indigenous-led storytelling for remote communities. We sincerely thank our interim General Managers, Tamara Whyte and Benjamin Erin, who did more than keep the seat warm; they guided and supported ICTV every step of the way.

Welcome Josh! The whole team is excited to have you join ICTV as our new CEO.

Wow! What a week! ICTV was an official media partner at this year's Barunga Festival, which saw the Festival's organising return to the Bagala Aboriginal Corporation. ICTV broadcast two nights of incredible music and recorded much, much more! We also provided live outside-broadcast camera training to Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education media students, who then joined the ICTV camera crew each evening to help us deliver a spectacular two nights of music.

ICTV was kindly supported by NIAA, and Anglicare NT, who, in an innovative arrangement, suggested that their sponsorship airtime be paid forward to Tangentyere's StepUp!Respect campaign, and TEABBA's marketing campaign. This provided Tangentyere and TEABBA with great exposure to the ICTV audience across television, digital platforms, and the big screen at the Barunga stage. A very generous and innovative arrangement.

ICTV also collaborated with TEABBA, which provided the commentary for the broadcast on both nights, together showcasing great work across First Nations media organisations.

Keep an eye out on ICTV Play, the Barunga concerts will be there shortly!

Here at ICTV, we love any opportunity for a group photo, and a site visit from Bryan McKain from NIAA (the National Indigenous Australians Agency) is as good an excuse as any. These visits are a great opportunity to ensure ICTV is on track, and to report back any issues and challenges - and of course, talk about the work we're doing here in Mparntwe/Alice Springs and out in communities. ICTV thanks NIAA for their support.

In early April, ICTV travelled out to Atitjere to capture the Dreamd Academy camp, where young women from 12 communities across Central Australia came together for football, learning, and leadership. The program featured clinics and workshops led by AFLW players, giving participants the chance to build skills, confidence, and connection both on and off the field.

Find out more about Dreamd.

During the set-up of the OB Truck in readiness for the next day's games, we had a few helpers getting to know the cameras, understanding how the Director communicates to camera operators and picking up some journalism skills. Thanks kids, you were great!

A group of children from the Polly Farmer Foundation recently visited ICTV for an exciting, hands-on media experience. During their time at the station, they recorded station IDs, toured the studio, explored the graphics suite (see a sample of the great artwork they created!), and met staff from different teams to learn how each area contributes to broadcasting. It was such a lively and engaging visit that gave the kids a real insight into media production, and while things got a little crazy at times, it was a lot of fun for everyone involved.

The Healing Foundation and Community Broadcasting Foundation have partnered on a $200k fund to support projects for broadcast/publication on community radio, television and digital platforms.

Funding is available to support you to collaborate with survivors and descendants of the Stolen Generations in truth-telling, preserving history and educating our communities.

For more information, head to the Community Broadcasting Foundation's website.

This quarter, we’re showcasing ICTV’s wide range of programming genres, from Young Way to Our Culture, Our Sport and Our Music, and everything in between.

If you’re watching ICTV on free-to-air or VAST, you’ll see genre labels appear on your screen as you watch. Or head over to ICTV Play, where you can build your own playlist of favourite genres. Just click the genre icon in the top left corner of the screen and start watching!

Each month on ICTV, we broadcast YiraraTV, made by the students of Yirara College here in Mparntwe/Alice Springs. It's a great program, giving us an update on what's happening at the school, while giving great media experience to the students.

Watch on ICTV Play

ICTV advises that this program contains images, voices and names of deceased persons. Viewer discretion is advised.

📅 As the end of the financial year approaches, we are reaching out to invite your support through donations to help secure the future of Indigenous Community Television (ICTV).

💪🏽 We are working toward an important next step in that journey, establishing a more permanent “forever home” for ICTV.

🎥 We are creating a dedicated donation fund to help develop ICTV’s infrastructure and assets, enabling us to better serve our communities and remote audiences. This includes building the capacity for a central media and production space that can host film and media industry activity, support local and national productions, and provide office, studio, and practical facilities for creators. This space would also allow us to expand training opportunities and provide hands-on experience in the media and film industry, helping build a strong pipeline of skilled Aboriginal practitioners working alongside industry in a shared, collaborative environment. This is about creating real opportunity in Central Australia and strengthening the local creative economy through access, presence, and participation.

🗒️ Every donation — big or small — is deeply appreciated and will directly strengthen ICTV’s operations, expand our programs, and grow our capacity to share Aboriginal history, culture, and storytelling.

💵 Donations over $2 are tax-deductible, head to our GiveNow platform to make a donation.

We hope you’ve enjoyed catching up on what we’ve been working on, both in front of and behind the camera. If you have a message you’d like to share with our community through this newsletter, we’d love to hear from you—get in touch!

We’re currently updating and consolidating our mailing lists, so if you’d prefer not to receive ICTV Updates, you’re welcome to unsubscribe at any time—no hard feelings.

Keep an eye out for our next newsletter, coming your way in September!

Kele!