SBS celebrates 50 years of storytelling with diverse content and a bold national vision

SBS is celebrating its 50 years of championing diverse content with an impressive oncoming pipeline.

The announcement:

In a country home to the oldest continuous culture and where almost one-third of people were born overseas, SBS has long been holding up a mirror, enabling all Australians to see themselves and their stories through a distinctive media offering that can’t be found elsewhere.

“The Australia you see on SBS is the Australia we all see when we walk out our front door every day,” said James Taylor, managing director of SBS. “SBS’s role is to protect a plurality of perspectives, foster deeper understanding, and promote a sense of belonging for all Australians – regardless of their background and where their story began. As Australia’s most trusted news brand, trust is the foundation that drives our innovation-led news and multilingual content and that’s never been more important than in today’s global landscape of misinformation and distrust.

“We don’t tell people what to think, or feel, but provide opportunities for everyone to experience the world around them. For 50 years, SBS has been unafraid to entertain, educate and provoke audiences with bold, human stories that amplify diverse voices and connect us all. I am proud that we never stand still, continuously evolving to meet the needs of a diverse, contemporary Australia. Today we are reaching the highest audience numbers in our history with the largest volume of original Australian content.”

Where we have been

Founded in 1975 as two small multilingual radio stations, 2EA and 3EA, to help promote the Australian Government’s public health care scheme to non-English speaking communities and legislated in 1978, SBS’s multi-platform services are today free and available for all Australians in over 60 languages. And since premiering the nation’s first major prime-time Indigenous current affairs TV program, First In Line, in 1989, SBS has continued to pioneer First Nations representation, including welcoming National Indigenous Television (NITV) to its network as a free-to-air channel in 2012.

Affectionately referred to as ‘Sex Before Soccer’ in the 1980s – a reference to its raunchy foreign films and European football called by iconic sports presenter and former refugee, the late Les Murray AM – SBS over the decades has also been synonymous with bringing South Park, Scandi Noir and the Eurovision Song Contest to Australians.

Just as important has been SBS’s sustained investment in locally-produced content and Australian talent, which is focused on supporting diversity both on and off screen to reflect a contemporary Australia often not otherwise fully seen or represented.

The results are real, restless and daring stories that audiences love across news, current affairs, drama, documentary, food, sport and more.

SBS always has punched well above its weight, from the ground-breaking factual series First Australians and Go Back to Where You Came From, to more recently Gina Chick winning the premiere season of Alone Australia, hard-hitting drama Safe Home, and Courtney Act and Tony Armstrong hosting this year’s Eurovision watched by over 2.2 million Australians.

Where we are going

Today, SBS is an award-winning multiplatform, multilingual network that has been named Australia’s most trusted news provider[1] and national podcaster of the year three years running[2]. It is also the first broadcaster to allow viewers to opt-out of advertising related to alcohol, gambling and quick-service restaurants, as well as being on track to reach Net Zero by 2045.

“SBS is for all Australians, by all Australians, and we’ve never been afraid to take risks and boldly go where others won’t. Whether that’s through content that reflects and helps shape our collective national identity, digital innovation that delivers world-class audience experiences, or socially and environmentally responsible practices that show care for community,” said Taylor.

“We’ve always known who we are and what we stand for at SBS. Our success is grounded in the deep trusted relationships we have built with Australian communities over half a century and this is what makes us unique. If you want to understand the real Australia, then let SBS be your guide because in myriad ways, we are leading the way forward for a more inclusive and cohesive nation.”

SBS50 content line-up

SBS is marking its milestone 50th birthday with a distinctive slate of cross-network, multilingual content and activities, including outside broadcasts in regional locations and a partnership with VIVID Sydney. On SBS On Demand, a dedicated SBS50 Hub (www.sbs.com.au/sbs50) is celebrating all things SBS from across the decades including powerful SBS and NITV Originals and iconic arthouse films.

SBS World Movies will feature an SBS50 curated collection of game-changing and quotable films, with original commentary from The Movie Show and SBS Cult Movies. In particular don’t miss Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton who captivated audiences for almost 20 years from 1986 with their hearty debate, love for cinema and memorable reviews. A must watch!

SBS’s rich legacy of broadcasting football to a nation of ‘non-soccer lovers’ since the 80s is celebrated with a special episode of The Weekly Football Wrap that looks at the pioneers that championed the game and how far Australia has come in embracing the World Game (Monday 2 June at 10.20-11.20pm, VICELAND and SBS On Demand).

Australia’s longest running Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander current affairs program, Living Black with Karla Grant, will explore how SBS with NITV at its heart has redefined the way Australia tells First Nations stories. (Monday 9 June at 8.30-9.30pm on NITV and 10.35-11.35pm on SBS).

Marc Fennell unpacks SBS’s milestone moments one question at a time with a special SBS50 themed week of Mastermind, each night dedicated to a defining SBS genre (sport, world movies, drama/documentary, and food) with special guests Silvia Colloca, Craig Foster, Ray Martin and Pia Miranda. (Monday 2 June to Friday 6 June at 6.00-6.30pm, SBS and SBS On Demand).

The perfect recipe of food, chat and laughs in an SBS50 themed week of The Cook Up with Adam Liaw will feature some of SBS’s biggest names in food, entertainment and sport to make the big five-0 a week to remember with five nightly episodes. (Monday 2 June to Friday 6 June at 7.00-7.30pm, SBS Food and SBS On Demand).

Insight, hosted by Kumi Taguchi, asks is turning 50 a big deal for those Australians marking this milestone birthday in 2025. From mid-life crises to menopause, finding undiscovered family members and starting afresh, should 50 be feared, or embraced as a new beginning? (Tuesday 10 June at 8.30-9.30pm, SBS and SBS On Demand).

Oh my God – we killed Kenny! The US cult classic South Park, which was first shown in Australia on SBS in 1998, is back for Aussie audiences, with seasons 1-15 now streaming on SBS On Demand until 30 June. And for those looking for a love story that pre-dates Tinder, the iconic Chinese dating reality show If You Are The One, returns with new episodes of season 15 (Fridays at 6pm, VICELAND and SBS On Demand) and season 16 premiering on 8 August.

SBS Audio’s 60+ language services are producing community features exploring the changing faces of Australia. This ranges from video interviews with original 2EA and 3EA radio presenters to a ‘Changing Street Corners’ series focused on some of Australia’s oldest and newest migrant communities, sharing their diverse perspectives and valuable contributions.

Celebrating 50 years of connecting with communities, SBS Audio will also be conducting outside broadcasts with over 15 language programs including Filipino, Greek, Malayalam, Mandarin and Punjabi across Australia including Darwin, NT (Thursday 22 May), Toowoomba, Qld (Wednesday 18 June) and Gold Coast, Qld (Friday 27 June).

Source: SBS