FIAT/IFTA World Conference 2026

Audiovisual materials are experienced through screens and speakers and in the 21st century these can be found in every home, class room and pocket, providing an opportunity to massively expand access to the audiovisual collections. For the past three years, the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) has been renewing its approach to collection sharing and contextualisation across key external channels including YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. In March 2026, NFSA released an entirely new website designed as an online audiovisual museum. It provides access to 5,500 items from the collection, with more to be added regularly, along with curatorial notes and longer form journalism exploring the stories behind the clips. Designed to be appealing to the broadest possible audiences, the website is a resource of Australian history, of the diversity and impact of audiovisual forms, and offers a fun way to relive pop culture memories. 


NFSA is Australia's national audiovisual collection. Collecting began in 1935 making it one of the longest established public collections in the world. Over the decades, collecting strategies have changed and adapted in response to technological and cultural shifts. Today, the collection includes almost 700,000 individual works that span all formats from celluloid to interactive digital, and from factual and news recordings to games, music, broadcast, sports, social media and advertising. With such a broad scope, the collection offers potential to all Australians for inspiration, learning, research and enjoyment.


This paper will show how NFSA developed its multi-channel content distribution strategy, from staffing structures to market research driven insights, rights management, audience development and platform build, and will provide a snapshot of user responses six months from the launch of the website.