Playing Catch-up: How Australian Indigenous Broadcasting Navigates the Digital Shift

Indigenous broadcasting stands at a critical juncture as digital platforms reshape media production and reception. Drawing on an Indigenist mixed-method study conducted in Australia, including a national survey of 762 Indigenous participants, focus groups/yarning sessions across 18 communities, and key person interviews, this article examines how Indigenous broadcasters are navigating the changing media habits of their audiences and digital transformation. We analyze this transition through three interconnected dynamics: the reimagining of the Indigenous public sphere; the platform paradox of digital sovereignty; and infrastructural inequality and the consequent digital divide. We argue that the structural conditions that currently impact the sector, including chronic underinvestment, fragile communications infrastructure, and shifting audience preferences toward global (digital) media platforms, mean the sector is in a perpetual state of “playing catch-up.” Indigenous broadcasting nevertheless remains a vital counterpublic space that sustains cultural authority, community dialogue and political voice while experimenting with hybrid digital media forms.