APTN has launched a new high-definition channel, APTNHD, which will carry 16.5 hours per week of distinctive HD programming — initially available only to Bell ExpressVu HD subscribers.

The new channel’s schedule features many of the aboriginal-aimed channel’s most popular shows, including renegadepress.com, now in its fifth and final season. Youth programming will include the world premieres of MyTV and La Piqure — two new programs that explore the lives of today’s aboriginal youth — and the Gemini-award winning Wapos Bay.

As well, all of APTN’s national news and current affairs programs, including its daytime and primetime broadcasts, will be available on APTNHD.

‘This new station will help our viewers see the best of APTN with the best technology available today,’ says APTN CEO Jean LaRose. ‘Every day, APTN offers Canadians a window into the diverse worlds of indigenous peoples in Canada and throughout the world through newscasts and documentaries, dramas, entertainment and children’s programs.’

LaRose is hopeful that APTNHD will encourage the development of new and original aboriginal-language HD programming. The new channel ‘will provide aboriginal producers with an impetus to create more content in high definition,’ he says.

From Media in Canada