Optus commits 3% of consumer brand spend to First Nations media – Optus and National Indigenous Television have announced a two-year partnership built around First Nations media investment.
Through the deal, Optus will commit 3% of its consumer brand spend to First Nations media. The partnership supports NITV’s Beyond 3% initiative.
For Australian media, the move is important because it turns support into a measurable spend target. It also gives NITV a major commercial partner as the channel prepares for its 20th anniversary year.
What Optus has committed to
Optus will direct 3% of its consumer brand media spend to First Nations media over the next two years.
NITV said Optus is one of the largest brands to make that commitment through Beyond 3%.
The initiative asks marketers and media agencies to increase investment in First Nations media platforms. It also challenges the sector to make that investment a normal part of media planning.
The campaign points to a clear gap. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples represent 3.8% of Australia’s population, but First Nations media is often overlooked in mainstream advertising plans.
Optus Chief Corporate Affairs and Marketing Officer Felicity Ross said the commitment was a practical way to embed reconciliation into the company’s business decisions.
Speaking Country, Word of the Week
The partnership will also include a new initiative called Speaking Country, Word of the Week.
Through the project, Optus and NITV will translate, celebrate and amplify First Nations languages.
The project will run across broadcast, on-demand video, audio, articles and social content. In addition, it will spotlight the communities behind each featured word.
NITV said the work will tell stories connected to language, identity and Country.
The partnership is also expected to include a documentary about preserving the world’s oldest living languages. The documentary will explore how those languages can continue to flourish for future generations.
NITV prepares for its 20th anniversary
NITV will reveal its 20th anniversary content slate at the SBS 2027 Upfront in Sydney on Tuesday, 1 September 2026.
The channel launched on 13 July 2007. It joined the SBS network in 2012 as a free-to-air channel.
SBS Director of First Nations Tanya Denning-Orman said Beyond 3% has helped shift how brands think about First Nations media and First Nations consumers.
NITV Head of Commercial, Brand and Digital Rhanna Collins said the Optus partnership would help First Nations voices, stories and languages thrive.
For more NITV stories, visit TV Central’s NITV section. More information about NITV is available at the official NITV website.
