SBS Radio launches two new multicultural youth stations
SBS has launched two new digital music radio stations; PopDesi offering Bollywood and Bhangra tracks; and PopAraby offering Arab pop music.
The announcement:
SBS has launched two new digital music radio stations for Australia’s growing multicultural youth market.
SBS PopDesi offers the latest Bollywood hits and Bhangra tracks, while SBS PopAraby brings the very best of Arabic pop to Australian audiences.
The launch of SBS PopDesi and SBS PopAraby follows the huge success of SBS’s first digital radio station for multicultural Australians, SBS PopAsia. SBS PopAsia receives 250,000 streaming requests per month and has 41,000 ‘likes’, making it the most popular Australian digital radio station on Facebook.
SBS PopDesi, SBS PopAraby and SBS PopAsia are all available on digital radio, online and via dedicated mobile apps.
SBS Director Audio Language & Content Mandi Wicks said: “The success of our first digital radio station, SBS PopAsia, proved to us that there is demand for multicultural music content for young Australians.”
“We have launched SBS PopAraby and SBS PopDesi so that fans can access their favourite Middle-Eastern or South Asian music wherever or whenever they choose. Listeners can tune in online or via their mobile. The mobile apps feature on-demand streaming 24/7 and interact as you listen features. So, no matter where you are, you can request your favourite track or buy the song you just heard. Social media is at the heart of the new stations too – fan requests on Facebook and Twitter help to inform the music we play.”
SBS PopDesi, SBS PopAraby and SBS PopAsia are produced locally by SBS, engaging the interests and passions of 15-30 year old Australians.
SBS PopDesi and SBS PopAraby will play all the biggest hits and charting pop direct from South Asia, or Arabic pop capitals such as Lebanon and Egypt. New music will be added to the playlists every week, sourced from world charts and listeners’ requests.
Statistics from the 2011 Census indicate the potential demand for SBS PopDesi and SBS PopAraby:
- Indian languages spoken at home have seen huge growth, including a 208% increase in Punjabi speakers and a 188% increase in Gujarati speakers since the last Census in 2006;
- When combined, the figures show an 89% increase in the number of Indian language speakers since 2006, with a total of 393,541 speakers;
- The number of people speaking Arabic at home has increased by 18% since 2006.
Future plans for SBS PopDesi and SBS PopAraby also include daily music and culture blogs and interactive Top 10 chart shows, similar to SBS PopAsia’s popular Top 8 countdown.
Source: SBS press release
