Streakers versus streamers: SBS kicks off upfronts season with ‘solid’ offering

SBS has kicked off the upfronts season with a slate and positioning that observers in agencyland have characterised as substantial.

Australia’s multicultural broadcaster focussed on its blockbuster property, World Cup 2026, and spruiked its “opt out” advertising options and low TV ad load in an event that struck a balance between TV showmanship and consistency.

Acting managing director Jane Palfreyman took a lead role at the upfront in Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion, with outgoing MD James Taylor looking on in the audience.

Palfreyman said 2026 “will be our biggest audience year ever.”

“Television is no longer a contest between 7, 9, 10, and the ABC. The real competition now is with the global streamers,” she said.

The afternoon did not unveil a great deal of truly novel programming or products. Most of the announcements were updates or extensions of existing properties. Some new developments:

• Season 4 of Alone Australia will be set in the Northern Hemisphere’s Arctic Circle
• Live viewing on SBS On Demand can now be paused and rewound
• SBS is launching a Data Lab product
• Opt out for gambling, alcohol and fast food out of beta and extended to the whole of On Demand

Palfreyman briefly acknowledged Taylor’s contribution to SBS – he is set to begin as CEO of Ooh Media later this year – before going on to praise her organisation’s relatively new “We Go There” platform. The campaign’s primary talent – SBS have not revealed the actor’s identity – ran on to the stage naked for an attention-grabbing start to the upfront. Unfortunately Mumbrella was not quite fast enough to capture the moment on camera.

SBS national Indigenous affairs editor John Paul Janke and NITV national sales manager Anna Dancey announce the documentary 2.6 Seconds

The World Cup will be held in the Americas – US, Mexico and Canada – for six weeks from 11 June 2026. A well-edited montage showreel of World Cup moments set the scene for the event.

“The vibe created at the beginning by the football crowd noise was infectious and set an atmosphere of excitement,” TrinityP3’s Stephen Wright told Mumbrella.

“SBS always going to present content of character rather than blockbusters. The content of character was certainly there … I thought it was a strong presentation.” 

Wright has provided Mumbrella with an extended opinion on the event in which he argues that what SBS lacked in blockbuster content they made up for with character.

Agency observers contacted by Mumbrella echoed Wright’s thoughts, commending the “solid” offering.

In a media briefing prior to the upfront, SBS said it had extended the “opt out” functionality in SBS On Demand for alcohol, gambling and QSR (fast food) advertising. When asked how many people had made use of the functionality, Palfreyman declined to specify a number, but said it was in the “thousands”.

“ I think it’s probably what we expected to see,” Palfreyman said. “It’s a small group of audiences, who would like to be able to self-regulate what they can and can’t see. If we can help audiences self-regulate, it makes sense for us.”

She also later said having the opt-out option meant complaints about advertising had reduced.

The semi-commercial broadcaster was pushing one of its commercial constraints – its capped TV ad load of five minutes per hour – as a strength.

SBS Media national sales manager Keiran Beasley cited an Ehrenberg Bass study that he said indicated SBS could deliver “between 32 and 47 per cent better recall than our free-to-air competitors.” SBS’ ad load compares favourably (for audiences) to the approximately 12 minutes per hour of fully commercial TV.

A comparison of ad loads (supplied by SBS)

Beasley said that while SBS On Demand was not required to stick to the five-minute rule — the legislation refers to linear TV only — SBS mirrored the TV policy on its digital platform. There were no plans to change the policy.

It was one of the lines of attack TrinityP3’s Wright said SBS should have emphasised more on the actual night of the upfront event. Wavemaker marketplace director Sasko Bosilkovski agreed with SBS’ proposition that less ads meant higher value.

“The emphasis on a mere 5 minutes of ads per hour on TV is indeed a highly distinctive and significant advantage,” he said in a written statement. “In a cluttered media landscape, this translates directly to 47% greater ad recall and dramatically less wastage for brands. It ensures messages cut through effectively, fostering deeper engagement and a more positive viewer experience.”