Exchange
Please note: This section is for independent producers. If you are a producer at a presenting station wishing to submit your local productions for national distribution consideration, visit the Presenting Station Tools section.APT Exchange acquires programming from both public television stations and independent producers and distributes these titles to public television stations nationwide.
Virtually all U.S. public television licensees subscribe to the APT Exchange service. Subscribers pay a yearly subscription fee based on their market size and, as a result, may access APT's entire inventory of more than 800 titles and 3,000 television hours at any time. This includes the 100+ new titles we add each year.
Our ever-growing catalog contains highly rated and award-winning cooking, travel and lifestyle series hosted by some of public television’s most-recognizable faces; high-profile primetime programs; fully packaged pledge events for fundraising purposes, as well as strong documentaries, music performances, children's programming, and news and public affairs series.
Additionally, many of Exchange’s signature series appear on Create® and WORLD, two of public television's most popular multicast channels. For Create®, these include the long-running lifestyle series America's Test Kitchen From Cook's Illustrated, The Best of the Joy of Painting (Bob Ross), Lidia's Italy, P. Allen Smith's Garden Home and Rick Steves' Europe.
Our seasoned staff helps independent producers navigate the public television system by providing valuable guidance, constructive feedback, and editorial oversight, when necessary.
Submission Process for Independent Producers
The APT Exchange distribution model does not provide producers with a licensing fee; the program must be at least at fine-cut stage and fully funded. Producers may recoup some of their production costs through on-air product offers of companion books, DVDs and CDs directly related to their program and by securing additional underwriting.Producers wishing to submit programming for consideration should follow the instructions below (no DVDs or tapes, please).
The following is also required:
- Episodic descriptions (if proposing a series)
- Complete funding information
- Project timetable/Production timeline
- Business plan, including information on accompanying multiplatform content (if any)
- Staff bios, including information on previous productions
Email these materials, and a permanent screening URL/link to:
exchange@aptonline.org
If Exchange decides to offer your program to stations, you must obtain the services of a presenting organization to oversee the submission and offer process, provide technical support and assist with promotion. Consider APT Presentations or a public television station in your area for this service.
NOTE:
Please allow 8 weeks for screening and review. APT Exchange will respond after reviewing all program materials. Producers in the submission stage should not begin the packaging and delivery process.
General questions? E-mail exchange@APTonline.org