The First Inventors Breaks New Ground For Network 10 and NITV.
This First-Of-Its Kind Co-Commission With The Two Broadcasters Draws To A Close During NAIDOC Week With A Fitting Tribute To This Year’s Theme – For Our Elders.
National Indigenous Television (NITV) and Network 10’s co-commissioned four-part documentary series, The First Inventors, is a first of its kind between the broadcasters. Presented and narrated by Logie Award-winning actor and proud Tiwi Islander man Rob Collins, who leads a team of First Nations investigators, the docu-series uncovers more than 65,000 years of invention and innovation.
The First Inventors was simulcast on 10, 10 Play, NITV and SBS on Demand with its final episode airing on 6 July during NAIDOC Week, and available on both BVOD platforms. The series explores the world’s longest surviving culture, that of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and also adeptly reflects this year’s NAIDOC Week theme of ‘For Our Elders’. The First Inventors also connects to both SBS’s Elevate Reconciliation Action Plan and Paramount ANZ’s Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan, by amplifying First Nations peoples’ stories and voices, celebrating the world’s oldest storytellers in an impactful way to create positive and sustainable societal change.
Across 10, 10 Play, NITV and SBS on Demand, The First Inventors is averaging 304,000 national viewers and reaching over 2.4 million Australians, set to increase with continuous on demand viewing. The series was watched by an average of 31,000 viewers on 10 Play and SBS on Demand.
The First Inventors is NITV’s most successful original commission in the last seven years. Episode one was watched by over 100,000 Total TV viewers on NITV and SBS on Demand, achieving the highest audience result for the First Nations media channel since 2016.
During its run, the show’s ground-breaking discoveries garnered attention from major Australian news outlets. One of the discoveries reported on was the archaeological dig at Lizard Island that revealed the earliest evidence of Indigenous manufacture and use of pottery, confirming a trade route as old as the Silk Road. Another story was shared on Australia’s oldest ever underwater archaeological discovery off the coast of Western Australia in the Dampier Archipelago – a tidal channel that was dry land inhabited during the last ice age.
Tanya Denning-Orman, a proud Birri and Guugu Yimidhirr woman and SBS’s Director of Indigenous Content, said: “We are incredibly proud of the way The First Inventors has broken new ground in illuminating the history of this continent, and enhancing our collective understanding as a nation of the more than 65,000 years of knowledges and cultures that continue to influence and enrich our lives. It’s fantastic to see the audience response as Australians connect with this incredible story of our country.”
Senior Vice President Content and Programming, Paramount ANZ, Daniel Monaghan, said: “It’s an honour to host stories of the longest continuous civilisation on Earth. Not only will The First Inventors give all Australians the chance to learn more about the country we live on, but it will also help us to better understand the world we live in. Thank you to our friends at NITV, Screen Australia and Ronde Media for helping us to bring these incredible stories to light.”
The First Inventors is a Ronde Pty Ltd production for NITV and Network 10. Major production investment from Screen Australia in association with NITV. Financed with support from the National Indigenous Australians Agency, with Tourism Australia, Screen NSW and Screen Territory.
The First Inventors. Available on 10 Play And SBS On Demand.
