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News 21 Feb 2022 - 3 min read

SBS claims 10m logged-in IDs, unveils advertising study plans, new programming for FTA

By Sam Buckingham-Jones - Deputy Editor
SBS Upfronts

“With more than five million Australians speaking a language other than English at home, no brand can afford to ignore this significant audience,” SBS's Director of Media Sales, Adam Sadler, said.

SBS claims it has hit 10m logged BVOD viewers, putting it on a par with the likes of Seven in the race to build out first party data assets and identity graphs. The network has also outlined major plans for 2022 – with diversity of audience central to its pitch to brands.

What you need to know:

  • SBS has outlined a suite of new programs, services and advertising plans in its Upfronts, which were cancelled due to Covid.
  • A new global news channel, new Australian dramas, the entire FIFA World Cup, a new Reconciliation Action Plan, and new brand impact studies were part of the slate.  
  • The network's well received BVOD service has also now attracted 10m logged-in viewers, putting SBS up their with the larger networks in terms of first party data.

SBS has unveiled its plans for 2022, including a new Free-To-Air news channel, all 64 games of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, 1,600 hours of new content each month for the SBS On Demand – of which their are now 10 million, claimed the network.

After Covid concerns prompted the network to cancel its in-person Upfronts event, which was scheduled for last week, it has instead released details about how it plans to invest in the year ahead, including releasing a new, more comprehensive Reconciliation Action Plan.

SBS says it will partner with universities to release more studies into how brands can connect with diverse and multilingual audiences. SBS draws about 30 per cent of its operating budget from commercial activities, including advertising.

SBS has announced:

  • Six new Australian dramas.
  • A new news channel, SBS WorldWatch, to launch on 23 May showing news in 35 languages.
  • It will broadcast all 64 games in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and more than 800 hours of cycling from events like the Tour De France and Giro d’Italia.
  • It has more than 10 million registers users on SBS On Demand watching shows like Django and The Handmaid’s Tale. And it has signed a multiyear partnership with StudioCanal.

The network will this year launch its next Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), an “Elevate RAP”, which is the highest level available from Reconciliation Australia. Likewise, it has released new guidelines on equity and inclusion in its programming commissioning, which include annual reporting to stay accountable to the industry.  

“We want to ensure that everyone in our sector can participate with equal opportunity to succeed, and we have expanded our commitment to on-screen and off-screen inclusion through new commissioning guidelines and targets we’re sharing today - the most ambitious, nuanced and comprehensive commitment in our industry,” SBS Managing Director James Taylor said.

“As we grow more diverse as a nation, all Australians will continue to recognise themselves and their communities on SBS.”

The network’s Director of Media Sales, Adam Sadler, said this year would involve studies to demonstrate the increasing diversity of the Australian public. It will release the country’s first study into in-language advertising and its impact on cut through and brand recall.

“With more than five million Australians speaking a language other than English at home, no brand can afford to ignore this significant audience,” Sadler said.

“I’m also excited to announce two new services within SBS Media this year in Cultural

Connect and Cultural Consultancy, two dedicated multicultural communications teams that will work with marketers and agencies alike, providing bespoke and independent research, data and insights that SBS is uniquely positioned to offer.”

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