Celebrating the NAIDOC Week theme of 50 Years of Deadly in 2026, SBS and National Indigenous Television (NITV) invite all Australians into a powerful week of First Nations storytelling, culture and connection across television, streaming, audio and digital platforms from Sunday July 5 to Sunday July 12 on SBS, NITV and SBS On Demand.
As both the home of National NAIDOC Week, and the principal media partner, SBS and NITV continue to bring Australians together through storytelling that is authentic, accessible, and deeply meaningful - creating space for audiences across the country to experience, understand and engage with First Nations voices, cultures and perspectives. The 3-year media partnership supports the ongoing visibility and impact of NAIDOC across the country and reflects a longstanding relationship between NAIDOC, SBS and NITV in championing First Nations storytelling and community leadership.
For over 50 years, NAIDOC Week has stood as a powerful expression of Culture, resistance, pride and survival - amplifying the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and championing truth-telling, justice and self-determination.
Held annually across the first week of July, NAIDOC Week invites all Australians to learn about First Nations histories and cultures, celebrate the world’s oldest continuing living cultures, and take part in conversations that connect communities across the country.
For SBS and NITV, this is more than a celebration - it is a moment to reconnect.
Powerful Stories. Enduring Voices.
This year across television, streaming, digital and audio, SBS and NITV will deliver an unrivalled breadth of content - from landmark documentaries and bold current affairs to powerful films, music, sport and emerging First Nations voices shaping the future. Together, the network commemorates five decades of NAIDOC Week while celebrating the enduring strength, survival, and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Elder in Residence Oration with Richard Frankland
Building on the extraordinary legacy of the late Widjabul Wiyebal woman of the Bundjalung nation, Aunty Rhoda Roberts AO, acclaimed filmmaker, writer and proud Gunditjmara Elder Richard Frankland delivers this year’s SBS Elder in Residence Oration reflecting on storytelling, cultural responsibility and the role of First Nations voices in shaping Australia’s future.
Drawing on a lifetime of work across film, activism and community leadership, Frankland speaks to the enduring power of culture, the importance of truth-telling, and the responsibility of storytelling to create understanding and meaningful change.
The Oration provides a platform for First Nations voices to be amplified — creating space for reflection, connection and learning for all Australians while capturing Indigenous thought leadership at a pivotal moment for the nation.
Elder in Residence Oration with Richard Frankland premieres Sunday 5 July at 5.30pm on NITV and SBS On Demand.
Frame by Frame
Hosted by acclaimed filmmaker and proud Arrernte and Kalkadoon woman Rachel Perkins, Frame by Frame is a compelling interview and short-film series celebrating the creative vision and cultural legacy of First Nations filmmakers.
Across the series, Perkins sits down with influential storytellers including Leah Purcell, Sally Riley, Erica Glynn, Tanith Glynn-Maloney and Hunter Page-Lochard to explore their careers, creative process and contribution to First Nations screen storytelling. Pairing deeply personal conversations with curated short film screenings, the series honours the storytellers who paved the way while illuminating pathways for the next generation of Indigenous creatives.
Frame by Frame premieres Thursday 9 July on NITV and SBS On Demand. Episodes air weekly at NITV starting Thursday 9 July at 8:30pm on NITV.
Blue Water Empire
Hosted by Aaron Fa'aoso, Blue Water Empire charts the extraordinary history of Torres Strait Islander peoples across more than 200 years of change, resistance and survival.
Blending dramatic re-enactments, archive footage, animation and an original score by Will Kepa, the series explores the impact of colonisation while celebrating the resilience, leadership and enduring seafaring traditions of Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Blue Water Empire premieres Sunday 5 July on NITV and SBS On Demand. Episodes air weekly at NITV starting Sunday 5 July at 7.30pm.
Living Black | Kutcha Edwards – Becoming One
In a special edition of Living Black, host Karla Grant sits down with proud Aboriginal singersongwriter Kutcha Edwards for an intimate and deeply personal conversation. Removed from his family at just 18 months old as part of the Stolen Generations, Edwards reflects on the lifelong impact of separation and his journey of reconnection with his mother and culture.
Speaking candidly about healing, survival and finding his identity, Edwards shares what it means to be “deadly”, and how music has become a powerful vehicle for storytelling, truth-telling and cultural strength.
The Living Black episode starring Kutcha Edwards premieres Monday 6 July on NITV and SBS On Demand. The episode airs at NITV on Monday 7 July at 8.30pm.
The Point
As The Point turns 10, NITV and SBS’s National Indigenous Affairs Editor John Paul Janke looks back over a decade of groundbreaking Indigenous affairs coverage. Since launching with Stan Grant’s exclusive interview with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in March 2016, The Point has delivered unflinching, in-depth coverage of the issues that impact the lives of Australia’s First Nations people. Join award-winning host JP Janke as he revisits some of the stories that have challenged the mainstream Australian media narrative and platformed the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples.
The NAIDOC special episode of The Point premieres Tuesday 7 July on NITV and SBS On Demand. The episode will air on NITV on Tuesday 7 July at 7.30pm.
Journey Home, David Gulpilil
Winner of the 2026 AACTA Awards for Best Documentary and Best Original Score, and the 2025 DIFF Audience Award, Journey Home, David Gulpilil follows a powerful 4,500-kilometre journey to fulfil the final wish of legendary Yolŋu actor David Gulpilil. Travelling to his Homeland in Gupulul in remote East Arnhem Land, the documentary offers rare and intimate insight into ceremony, family and connection to Country. Narrated by Hugh Jackman and Baker Boy, the film stands as a moving tribute to Gulpilil’s enduring cultural legacy.
Journey Home, David Gulpilil is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
Ongoing Commitment
SBS’s National NAIDOC Week activation continues the work outlined in SBS’s Elevate Reconciliation Action Plan 2022–2026, reinforcing the network’s commitment to reflecting, exploring and embedding First Nations stories, cultures, knowledges and languages across all platforms.
Through storytelling that is bold, accessible and grounded in community, SBS and NITV continue to connect the oldest continuous culture on Earth with the newest Australians.
Still Deadly. Always.
