View source for SBS (Australian TV channel)

{{short description|National public television network in Australia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use Australian English|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox television channel
| name = SBS
| logo = [[File:SBS Australia Logo (2019).svg|frameless|class=skin-invert]]
| logo_caption = Logo used since 2019
| launch_date = {{start date and age|1980|10|24|df=yes}}
| closed_date = 
| type = Free-to-air television network<br />[[Public broadcasting|Public broadcaster]]
| picture_format = [[1080i]] [[High-definition television|HDTV]] <br> (downscaled to [[576i]] for the [[SDTV]] feed)
| network = [[SBS Television]]
| owner = [[Special Broadcasting Service]]
| country = [[Australia]]
| language = English
| area = Nationwide
| headquarters = 14 Herbert Street<br />[[Artarmon, New South Wales]]
| former_names = SBS Ethnic Television<br /><small>(1979)</small><br />Experimental Multicultural Television - MTV2<br /><small>(1980)</small><br />Channel 0/28<br /><small>(1980–1983)</small><br />Network 0–28<br /><small>(1983–1985)</small><br />SBS TV<br /><small>(1985–2009)</small><br />SBS ONE<br /><small>(1 June 2009 – 4 July 2015)</small>
| replaced = 
| replaced_by = 
| sister_channels = [[SBS HD]]<br />[[SBS Viceland HD]]<br />[[SBS World Movies]]<br />[[SBS Food]]<br />[[National Indigenous Television|NITV]]<br />[[SBS WorldWatch]]
| website = [https://www.sbs.com.au/ sbs.com.au]
| terr_serv_1 = STN Sydney (DVB-T)
| terr_chan_1 = 1108 @ 7 (184.5&nbsp;MHz)
| terr_serv_2 = AGV Melbourne (DVB-T)
| terr_chan_2 = 1124 @ 7 (184.5&nbsp;MHz)
| terr_serv_3 = VTQ Brisbane/Gold Coast (DVB-T)
| terr_chan_3 = 1140 @ 7 (184.5&nbsp;MHz)
| terr_serv_4 = ATS Adelaide (DVB-T)
| terr_chan_4 = 1156 @ 7 (184.5&nbsp;MHz)
| terr_serv_5 = WTW Perth/Mandurah (DVB-T)
| terr_chan_5 = 1172 @ 7 (184.5&nbsp;MHz)
| terr_serv_6 = DVB-T
| terr_chan_6 = 7
| terr_serv_7 = Freeview SBS ([[virtual channel|virtual]])
| terr_chan_7 = 3
| terr_serv_8 = Freeview SBS HD ([[virtual channel|virtual]])
| terr_chan_8 = 30
}}

'''SBS''' is a multicultural [[public broadcasting|public]] [[Television broadcasting in Australia|TV network]] in Australia. Launched on 24 October 1980, it is the responsibility of [[Special Broadcasting Service|SBS]]'s [[SBS Television|television division]], and is available nationally. In 2023, SBS had an 8.5% audience share,<ref name="2023 ratings">{{Cite web |last=Knox |first=David |date=4 December 2023 |title=Seven wins 2023 Ratings Year |url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2023/12/seven-wins-2023-ratings-year.html |access-date=5 April 2024 |website=[[TV Tonight]] |language=en-AU}}</ref> compared to 2018 when SBS had a 7.7% audience share.<ref name="2018 ratings">{{Cite web |last=Knox |first=David |date=3 December 2018 |title=Seven wins 2018 ratings year |url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2018/12/seven-wins-2018-ratings-year.html/ |access-date=16 December 2018 |website=[[TV Tonight]]}}</ref>

==History==
===Origins===
SBS began test transmissions in April 1979 as ''SBS Ethnic Television'' when it showed various foreign language programs on [[ABV (TV station)|ABV-2]] [[Melbourne]] and [[ABN (TV station)|ABN-2]] Sydney on Sunday mornings. Full-time transmission began at {{nowrap|6.30 pm}} on 24 October 1980 ([[United Nations Day]]) as Channel 0/28. At the time, SBS was broadcasting on UHF Channel 28 and VHF Channel 0. [[Bruce Gyngell]], who introduced television to Australia back in 1956, was given the task of introducing the first batch of programs on the new station.<ref name="TheAge1985-02-07" /> The first program shown was a documentary on [[multiculturalism]] entitled ''Who Are We?'' which was hosted, produced and directed by well-known Australian journalist [[Peter Luck]].

When transmission began for the night, the opening announcement would be as follows with "[[Fanfare for the Common Man]]" by [[Aaron Copland]] playing in the background:<blockquote>"Welcome to Channel 0/28 Multicultural Television, Sydney and Melbourne. A section of the [[Special Broadcasting Service]], transmitting on VHF Channel 0 with a vision carrier frequency of 46.25[[Megahertz|MHz]] and on UHF Channel 28 with a vision carrier frequency of 527.25MHz. As well as from the Hyatt Kingsgate Tower in [[Kings Cross, New South Wales|Kings Cross, Sydney]], on UHF Channel 54 with a vision carrier frequency of 737.25MHz."<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH0t9YWRUWo |title=Channel 0/28 SBS evening opener late 1980 or early 1981 |date=6 September 2009 |publisher=gonadsftw |access-date=17 June 2016 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/qH0t9YWRUWo |archive-date=13 December 2021 |url-status=live |via=[[YouTube]]}}</ref></blockquote>

===1980s to the 1990s===
{{More citations needed section|date=September 2021}}
On 14 October 1983, the service expanded into [[Canberra]] on UHF28,<ref>{{cite news |last=Foster |first=Michael |date=15 October 1983 |title=Network 28 TV 'up and running' |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article116412138 |access-date=5 April 2024 |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |location=Australian Capital Territory |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia |volume=58 |issue=17,548}}</ref> [[Cooma, New South Wales|Cooma]] and [[Goulburn, New South Wales|Goulburn]] on UHF58 and at the same time changed its name to Network 0–28. Its new slogan was the long-running "Bringing the World Back Home".<ref>{{Cite news |date=14 October 1983 |title=Bring the world's best programs back home. Tonight. |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-age-bring-the-worlds-best-programs/144799908/ |access-date=29 January 2024 |newspaper=[[The Age]] |location=Melbourne |page=6 |language=en-AU |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

On 18 February 1985, the station changed its name to SBS and began daytime transmissions.<ref name="TheAge1985-02-07">{{Cite news |last=McNamara |first=Marie |date=7 February 1985 |title=Turning full circle? |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-age-turning-full-circle/144799983/ |access-date=29 January 2024 |newspaper=[[The Age]] |department=Green Guide |location=Melbourne |page=27 |language=en-AU |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> In June that year, SBS expanded to [[Brisbane]], [[Adelaide]], [[Newcastle, New South Wales|Newcastle]], [[Wollongong, New South Wales|Wollongong]] and the [[Gold Coast, Queensland|Gold Coast]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hooks |first=Barbara |date=27 June 1985 |title=Spreading the ethnic word, with subtitles |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-age-spreading-the-ethnic-word-with/144800080/ |access-date=30 January 2024 |newspaper=[[The Age]] |department=Tele Scope |location=Melbourne |page=2 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> On 5 January 1986 SBS ceased broadcasting on the [[VHF]]0 frequency.<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 December 1985 |title=After January 5, if you tune to Channel 0, you will see a few things missing. |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-after-january/144800150/ |access-date=29 January 2024 |newspaper=[[The Sun-Herald]] |location=Sydney |page=30 |language=en-AU |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> Although many Australians at the time did not have UHF antennas, SBS's VHF license had already been extended by a year at this stage and not all antennas had worked well with the low-frequency Channel 0 either.<ref name="history">{{Cite web |date=24 August 2007 |title=The History of Australian Television: SBS Television |url=http://televisionau.com/feature-articles/sbs |access-date=15 December 2007 |website=Television.AU}}</ref> Following this, on 16 March 1986, SBS commenced transmission in [[Perth]],<ref name="SMH1986-03-16" /> [[Mount Gambier]]{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}, [[Loxton, South Australia|Loxton]]-[[Renmark, South Australia|Renmark]]{{fact|date=January 2024}}, [[Port Pirie]]{{fact|date=January 2024}}, [[Broken Hill, New South Wales|Broken Hill]]{{fact|date=January 2024}}, [[Toowoomba]]{{fact|date=January 2024}}, [[Townsville]]{{fact|date=January 2024}}, [[Bendigo]]{{fact|date=January 2024}}, [[Ballarat]]{{fact|date=January 2024}}, [[Traralgon]]{{fact|date=January 2024}} and [[Hobart]].<ref name="SMH1986-03-16">{{Cite news |date=16 March 1986 |title=Sunday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-this-week-on-t/144798917/ |access-date=29 January 2024 |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |department=This Week on TV |location=Sydney |page=41 |language=en |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]] was the last capital city to receive the channel, with a local signal launched on 20 May 1994.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 July 2013 |title=Switching off analogue in Darwin |url=https://televisionau.com/2013/07/switching-off-analogue-in-darwin.html |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=Television.AU |language=en-AU}}</ref> Other cities that have launched the channel on, between and beyond those days included [[Maryborough, Queensland|Maryborough]]/[[Wide Bay–Burnett]], [[Rockhampton]], [[Mackay, Queensland|Mackay]], [[Katherine, Northern Territory|Katherine]], [[Cairns]], [[Bunbury, Western Australia|Bunbury]], [[Albany, Western Australia|Albany]], [[Kalgoorlie]], [[Esperance, Western Australia|Esperance]], [[Geraldton]], [[Alice Springs]], [[Tennant Creek]], [[Mount Isa]], [[Orange, New South Wales|Orange]], [[Griffith, New South Wales|Griffith]], [[Mildura]], [[Swan Hill]], [[Wagga Wagga]], [[Albury]]-[[Wodonga]], [[Coffs Harbour]], [[Lismore, New South Wales|Lismore]], [[Tamworth, New South Wales|Tamworth]] and [[Taree]]. [[Shepparton]] was the last city to launch SBS in November 2001.

Although [[SBS Television]] commenced transmissions as a non-commercial television network, in 1991 it began accepting and broadcasting television advertisements (a controversial move at the time). These were shown between programs, rather than having them interrupt programs.

===2000s===
In 2001, [[digital terrestrial television in Australia|digital terrestrial television]] was introduced with transmissions available to most of [[SBS Television]]'s coverage area on 1 January 2001, this was soon followed by the gradual introduction of [[widescreen]] programming.<ref name="dtvlaunch">{{Cite press release |title=Digital TV to commence on 1 January 2001 |date=29 December 2000 |publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Authority]] |url=http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_91112 |access-date=19 August 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070921080004/http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc%3DPC_91112 |archive-date=21 September 2007}}</ref>

The hosts of ''[[The Movie Show]]'', [[David Stratton]] and [[Margaret Pomeranz]], moved to the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]] in April 2004 to host a new program called ''[[At the Movies (Australian TV series)|At the Movies]]''.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Movie Luminaries David Stratton and Margaret Pomeranz Join ABC TV |date=5 April 2004 |publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |url=http://www.abc.net.au/corp/pubs/media/s1081308.htm |access-date=15 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070619093933/http://www.abc.net.au/corp/pubs/media/s1081308.htm |archive-date=19 June 2007}}</ref> ''The Movie Show'' continued with four new hosts, which included [[Megan Spencer]], [[Jaimie Leonarder]], [[Fenella Kernebone]] and [[Marc Fennell]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dubecki |first=Larissa |date=3 June 2004 |title=New faces for Movie Show |newspaper=[[The Age]] |publisher=[[Fairfax Media]] |location=Melbourne |page=10 |id={{ProQuest|363713134}}}}</ref> The final episode of ''The Movie Show'' aired in June 2006, after the show was axed.<ref>{{Cite news |date=6 June 2006 |title=SBS ends Movie Show |newspaper=[[The Advertiser (Adelaide)|The Advertiser]] |publisher=[[News Limited]] |location=Adelaide |page=23 |id={{ProQuest|355211610}} |quote=AFTER a three-month winding-down period, embattled SBS program The Movie Show is gone.}}</ref> The same month, SBS announced it would start showing advertisements during programs, unlike the previous practice in which advertisements were only shown in between programs.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=SBS to Bolster News and Current Affairs. Increase Australian Content |date=1 June 2006 |publisher=Special Broadcasting Service |url=http://www20.sbs.com.au/sbscorporate/index.php?id=1216 |access-date=26 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070105225711/http://www20.sbs.com.au/sbscorporate/index.php?id=1216 |archive-date=5 January 2007}}</ref> In May 2007, ''The Movie Show'' returned with a new interactive ten-minute format, presented by [[Lisa Hensley (actress)|Lisa Hensley]] and Michael Adams.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Barber |first=Lynden |date=9 May 2007 |title=Destruction far from negative |newspaper=[[The Australian]] |publisher=[[News Limited]] |location=Canberra |page=50 |id={{ProQuest|357482054}} |quote=PLANS by SBS for a new multiplatform version of The Movie Show sound disappointingly tokenistic. The new show will take the form of a 10-minute television program -- yes, a whole 10 minutes -- hosted by actor Lisa Hensley and Empire magazine's Michael Adams, plus "a broad and interactive online environment for film fans". In other words, a website.}}</ref>

On 1 June 2009, SBS TV was renamed SBS One to coincide with the launch of its new sister channel [[SBS Viceland|SBS Two]], which would carry programming geared towards younger audiences.<ref name="2009rebrand">{{Cite news |last=Hudson |first=Philip |date=1 June 2009 |title=SBS goes in to bat for sports lovers |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |publisher=[[Fairfax Media]] |location=Sydney |page=3 |id={{ProQuest|364694699}}}}</ref>

===2010s===
As of 10 December 2013, SBS ceased analogue television broadcasts and is now only available through digital TV or digital set-top box.<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 December 2013 |title=Australia's last remaining analogue TV transmitters switched off |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-10/end-of-an-era3a-analogue-tv-switched-off-in-victoria/5145824 |access-date=5 April 2024 |work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |language=en-AU}}</ref>

On 27 March 2014, SBS and SBS Two stopped broadcasting Weatherwatch Overnight, an overnight filler program providing national and international weather information with live video feeds of various cities around the world provided by EarthTV. Subsequently, both channels now broadcast 24/7. On 4 July 2015, SBS One changed its name back to SBS TV.<ref name="2015rebrand">{{cite web |last=Knox |first=David |date=22 June 2015 |title=SBS ONE to rebrand as SBS |url=http://tvtonight.com.au/2015/06/sbs-one-to-rebrand-as-sbs.html |access-date=29 January 2024 |website=TV Tonight}}</ref>

SBS launched a new channel focusing on both local and international food programming on 17 November 2015. The channel, called [[SBS Food]] (formerly Food Network due to the partnership with Discovery Inc.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[TV Tonight]]|first=David|last=Knox|url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2018/09/sbs-food-network-to-drop-us-titles.html|title=SBS Food Network to drop US titles |date=27 September 2018|accessdate=28 September 2018}}</ref>), is available on free to air channel 33.<ref>{{cite news |date=22 October 2015 |title=SBS to serve up tasty mix on 24-hour Food Network |url=http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/10/22/sbs-serve-tasty-mix-24-hour-food-network |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151022221319/http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/10/22/sbs-serve-tasty-mix-24-hour-food-network |archive-date=22 October 2015 |access-date=29 January 2024 |work=[[SBS News]] |publisher=[[Special Broadcasting Service]]}}</ref>

On 15 November 2016, SBS rebranded their sister station SBS 2 to [[SBS Viceland]] with content from US-Canadian broadcaster [[Vice Media]] after signing a deal with Vice Media on 23 June 2016.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ward |first=Miranda |date=4 October 2016 |title=SBS and Vice announce launch date for TV channel SBS Viceland |url=https://mumbrella.com.au/sbs-vice-announce-launch-date-tv-channel-sbs-viceland-399434 |access-date=4 October 2016 |website=[[Mumbrella]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Meade |first=Amanda |date=4 October 2016 |title=SBS Viceland: youth channel created in partnership with Vice to replace SBS 2 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/oct/04/sbs-viceland-youth-channel-created-in-partnership-with-vice-to-replace-sbs2 |newspaper=The Guardian |location=Sydney |access-date=4 October 2016}}</ref>

On 1 July 2019, [[SBS World Movies]] started transmission on Channel 32, replacing the Standard Definition broadcast of Viceland, as Viceland moved to Channel 31 in HD, World Movies became the third multichannel, alongside SBS, Viceland and SBS Food.

===2020s===
On 23 May 2022, SBS launched their fourth multichannel [[SBS WorldWatch]], which would have all the previously aired non-English news bulletins from the [[World Watch]] programming block aired alongside their own locally produced bulletins in both [[Arabic language|Arabic]] and [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]], it is available on free to air channel 35.<ref name="WorldWatch">{{cite web |date=23 May 2022 |title=SBS launches new free-to-air multilingual news channel |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/sbs-launches-new-free-to-air-multilingual-news-channel/l8ta5en39 |access-date=1 December 2022 |website=SBS News |publisher=Special Broadcasting Service}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Quinn |first=Karl |date=21 May 2022 |title=Australian news in Mandarin and Arabic? It's about to hit free-to-air TV thanks to SBS |url=https://www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/australian-news-in-mandarin-and-arabic-it-s-about-to-hit-free-to-air-tv-thanks-to-sbs-20220516-p5alrh.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=5 April 2024 |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |publisher=[[Nine Entertainment]] |location=Sydney |page=13 |language=en-AU |id={{ProQuest|2667226108}}}}</ref>

Leading up to the [[2022 FIFA World Cup]], SBS spent $20 million in order to acquire the exclusive rights to broadcast the competition.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Miranda |first=Ward |date=14 June 2022 |title=Socceroos qualifying for the World Cup is a big win for SBS |url=https://www.afr.com/companies/media-and-marketing/socceroos-qualifying-for-the-world-cup-is-a-big-win-for-sbs-20220614-p5atkn |url-access=subscription |access-date=1 December 2022 |newspaper=[[Australian Financial Review]] |publisher=[[Nine Entertainment]] |location=Melbourne |page=3 |language=en-AU |id={{ProQuest|2675964770}}}}</ref>

[[File:SBS building in Federation Square, Melbourne.jpg|thumb|SBS building in [[Federation Square]]]]

==Programming==
{{Main|List of programs broadcast by Special Broadcasting Service}}

SBS is required by charter to meet certain programming obligations.<ref name="charter">{{cite web
| url = http://www20.sbs.com.au/sbscorporate/index.php?id=378
| title = Special Broadcasting Services Act 1991
| access-date = 15 December 2007
| year = 1991
| work = [[Special Broadcasting Service]]
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071213160249/http://www20.sbs.com.au/sbscorporate/index.php?id=378 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 13 December 2007}}</ref> Although it has a strong focus on international news and current affairs, it also presents documentaries and educational programs, drama, comedy, films and sport. SBS devotes a significant part of its morning television schedule to news bulletins in languages other than English<ref>[http://203.15.102.140/news/worldwatch/worldwatch.php3 SBS – WorldWatch] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927011430/http://203.15.102.140/news/worldwatch/worldwatch.php3 |date=27 September 2007 }}, accessed 20 May 2007</ref> as well as showing many subtitled, foreign-language films. Its own news and current affairs aim to have a higher concentration on international affairs than the ABC or the commercial networks. It also shows many documentaries and current-affairs programs, while its sports coverage has a strong focus on international sports.

SBS's drama line-up mostly consists of imported content. International productions shown include ''[[Inspector Rex]]'', ''[[Rejseholdet|Unit One]]'', ''[[Funland (TV series)|Funland]]'', ''[[Shameless (British TV series)|Shameless]]'', ''[[Medici (TV series)|Medici]]'' and ''[[ZeroZeroZero]]''. Recent locally produced programs have included ''[[Kick (TV series)|Kick]]'', or ''[[East West 101]]''.

Comedy on SBS has included locally produced shows '[[SBS Monday comedy slot]]) but also foreign series such as ''[[The Ricky Gervais Show (animated series)|The Ricky Gervais Show]]'', ''[[Skins (TV series)|Skins]]'', ''[[bro'Town]]'', ''[[South Park]]'' (until 2020),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://musicfeeds.com.au/culture/sbs-cancels-south-park-after-23-years/|title=SBS Cancels 'South Park' After 23 Years|publisher=musicfeeds|date=18 September 2020|last=English|first=Laura|access-date=2 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Perry |first=Kevin |date=17 September 2020 |title=SBS says goodbye to classic comedy SOUTH PARK |url=https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2020/09/17/exclusive-sbs-says-goodbye-to-classic-comedy-south-park/ |access-date=2 June 2021 |website=TV Blackbox}}</ref> ''[[Corner Gas]]'', ''[[Nighty Night]]'' and ''[[Queer as Folk (US TV series)|Queer as Folk]]''. The channel has presented flagship comedy shows, which include ''[[Pizza (TV series)|Pizza]]'', ''[[Newstopia]]'', ''[[Life Support (Australian TV series)|Life Support]]'', ''[[John Safran]]'', ''[[Swift and Shift Couriers]]'', ''[[Bogan Pride]]'', in addition to reality television series, ''[[Nerds FC]]'', or Song for the Socceroos. As well as this, [[anime]] from Japan also aired on SBS, with programs including ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'', ''[[Samurai Champloo]]'' (as well as shows like ''[[Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040]]'' and ''[[Bleach (manga)|Bleach]]'' in the past) and the [[Studio Ghibli]] movies, as well as several [[Cult film|cult]] movies. ''[[Dadı]]'', the Turkish version of the American sitcom ''[[The Nanny (TV series)|The Nanny]]'' was shown on SBS, as were numerous sitcoms, [[soap operas]], drama series and movies in [[languages other than English]], including Mexican and Brazilian ''[[telenovela]]s'' and [[Bollywood]] movies. Such programming is [[Subtitle (captioning)|subtitle]]d in English (such subtitling is typically applied by SBS itself via their inhouse subtitling department), but very little such content is now shown on the station; it has been replaced by largely English-language programming.

The remainder of SBS's schedule consists of English-language lifestyle, music, game and talk shows. These include ''[[Iron Chef]]'', ''[[RocKwiz]]'', ''[[The Movie Show]]'', ''[[MythBusters]]'', ''[[Top Gear (2002 TV series)|Top Gear]]'' (2005–2009), ''[[Global Village (TV series)|Global Village]]'', ''[[Top Gear Australia]]'', ''[[Food Lovers' Guide to Australia|The Food Lovers' Guide to Australia]], [[Food Safari]], ''[[RAN Remote Area Nurse (TV series)|Remote Area Nurse]]'', ''Mum's the Word'', ''HELP'', ''[[Vasili's Garden]]'', ''[[Lonely Planet Six Degrees|Lonely Planet: Six Degrees]]'', ''[[Salam Cafe]]'', ''[[Inside Australia]]'', ''[[Storyline Australia]]'', ''[[First Australians]]'', ''[[The Nest (television series)|The Nest]]'', ''My Voice'', ''Oz Concert'', '' the ''[[Eurovision Song Contest]]''. In addition to [[foreign language film]] show ''SBS Film'' which include the best of international films is also available from ''[[World Movies|The World Movies Channel]]'' as aired. Late at night, when there is no scheduled programming, SBS usually broadcasts a Weatherwatch program which shows a weather map of Australia. In late 2005, the program was updated to feature weather information from cities around the world, along with a short clip of selected cities.

Since the late 1980s, SBS has screened the 1960s German-made comedy sketch ''[[Dinner for One]]'' every New Year's Eve, emulating an annual European TV tradition.

Between 1989 and 2006, the narrator for SBS was Robbie McGregor. The current narrator is [[Lani Tupu|Lani John Tupu]].

===News and current affairs===
{{Main|SBS World News}}
SBS has a range of news and current affairs programming, including its nightly, national, news service [[SBS World News]], investigative programme ''[[Dateline (Australian TV program)|Dateline]]'', discussion forum ''[[Insight (Australian TV program)|Insight]]'', indigenous affairs program ''[[Living Black]]'', in addition to its morning & afternoon ''[[World Watch]]'' timeslot, featuring bulletins in languages other than English. Until early 2007, ''[[Toyota World Sport]]'' was shown on weeknights until it was axed to accommodate the relaunched, one-hour ''[[SBS World News|World News Australia]]'' (which is now ''SBS World News'') and [[World Watch]].

It also broadcasts foreign language news on its second digital channel [[SBS Viceland]], sometimes it provides additional information, highlights, and statistics for programmes shown on SBS, such as the [[FIFA World Cup]], [[The Ashes]], [[Olympic Games]], and [[AFL Grand Final|the Australian Football League Grand Final]].

SBS, along with its sister channel Viceland, are still airing English news bulletins from international news channels under the current ''World Watch'' block following the launch of [[SBS WorldWatch]] multilingual channel.<ref name="WorldWatch" />

===Sport===
{{main|SBS Sport}}
SBS Sport currently holds the broadcast rights to a range of sports, which are broadcast on SBS, SBS Viceland and SBS On Demand. They have held the rights to many sporting events over the years, which have included the [[Tour de France]], the [[World Superbikes]], the [[World Rally Championship]], [[The Ashes]], [[UEFA Champions League]], [[UEFA Cup]], [[FIFA World Cup]] (every tournament since 1986; shared 2002 tournament with the [[Nine Network]], 2018 with [[Optus Sport]]), [[FIFA Confederations Cup]], the [[FA Cup Final|FA Cup]], the [[UEFA European Football Championship]], the [[2004 Summer Olympics]], the American [[National Football League]]'s [[Super Bowl]] and the [[Premier League|English Premier League]]. SBS has also produced and broadcast a range of sport related programming including ''[[The World Game]]'' and the ''[[UEFA Champions League|UEFA Champions League Magazine]]''.

The telecast of the [[2008 Summer Olympics]] in Beijing was shared by both the [[Seven Network]] and SBS, with the [[Seven Network]] holding exclusive Australian [[free-to-air]], [[pay television]], [[On-line and off-line|online]] and [[Mobile phone|mobile telephony]] broadcast rights. SBS provided complementary coverage and focused on long-form events such as [[association football|football]], [[road bicycle racing]], volleyball, and table tennis. In contrast, Seven broadcast the opening and closing ceremonies and mainstream sports including swimming, athletics, [[Rowing (sport)|rowing]], cycling and gymnastics.

==Funding==
Approximately 80% of SBS' funding comes from the [[Australian Federal Government]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Jolly |first=Rhonda |date=28 March 2007 |title=Special Broadcasting Service (SBS): Operations and funding |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/Publications_Archive/archive/SBS |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407210737/https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/Publications_Archive/archive/SBS |archive-date=7 April 2012 |access-date=29 January 2024 |publisher=[[Parliament of Australia]]}}</ref> The rest comes from independent sources, including "advertising and sponsorship, production services and sale of programs and merchandise". In the [[financial year]] 2018<span data-noir-inline-color="" data-noir-inline-caret-color="">–</span>19 the broadcaster is slated to receive $272.4 million.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jolly |first=Rhonda |date=4 May 2016 |title=Budget Review 2016-17: Public Broadcasting |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/BudgetReview201617/Publicbroadcasting |access-date=5 April 2024 |publisher=[[Parliament of Australia]]}}</ref>

==Availability==
SBS is available on all of [[SBS Television]]'s television transmitters in [[Standard-definition television|SD Digital]]. The channel's scheduling differs from state to state only during major sporting events, when the transmission times of other programmes may be altered. During the digital changeover between 2010 and 2013, SBS was also simulcast on [[Analog television|Analogue]].

In 2010 SBS commenced trial broadcasts of the [[FIFA World Cup]] in [[3D TV#Broadcasts|3D]] on Channel 40.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fung |first=Derek |date=14 May 2010 |title=World Cup in 3D for Australians |url=http://www.cnet.com.au/world-cup-in-3d-for-australians-339303182.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100516020155/http://www.cnet.com.au/world-cup-in-3d-for-australians-339303182.htm |archive-date=16 May 2010 |access-date=29 January 2024 |work=[[CNET]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=11 June 2010 |title=Sony 3D FAQ |url=http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/news/1007503/Sony-3d-FAQ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100618033603/http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/news/1007503/Sony-3d-FAQ |archive-date=18 June 2010 |access-date=16 June 2010 |work=[[The World Game]] |publisher=Special Broadcasting Service}}</ref>

===SBS HD===
[[File:SBS HD 2015 logo.png|thumb|right|SBS HD Logo]]
The SBS HD multichannel was launched on 14 December 2006. It broadcasts identical programming to SBS, but in [[1080i]] [[high-definition television|HD]] via [[Freeview (Australia)|Freeview]] and [[Optus fleet of satellites#Optus D1|Optus D1]].

On 8 April 2017, alongside the launch of [[SBS Viceland HD]], SBS HD was upgraded to an [[MPEG-4]] format, replacing the standard [[MPEG-2]] format it had used since its inception.<ref>{{cite web |date=8 April 2017 |title=Accessing SBS channels in HD |url=http://www.sbs.com.au/programs/article/2017/04/06/accessing-sbs-channels-hd |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409022715/http://www.sbs.com.au/programs/article/2017/04/06/accessing-sbs-channels-hd |archive-date=9 April 2017 |access-date=8 April 2017 |publisher=Special Broadcasting Service}}</ref>

===SBS On Demand===
{{main|SBS On Demand}}
'''SBS On Demand''' is a [[video on demand]] and [[catch up TV]] service run by the Special Broadcasting Service. The service became available on 1 September 2011.

SBS On Demand is available on the web and via apps for mobile devices, smart TVs and set-top boxes.<ref>{{cite web |title=What devices is SBS On Demand available on? |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/faqs/article/4029 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121203825/https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/faqs/article/4029 |archive-date=21 November 2018 |access-date=21 November 2018 |website=SBS On Demand |publisher=Special Broadcasting Service |language=en}}</ref>

==Logo and identity history==
The first SBS logo was a gradiented blue and white globe surrounded by a gradiented blue and white ring.<ref name="history" /> The logo was used across all of SBS's radio and television stations, and symbolised transmission on [[VHF]] channel 0. On 14 October 1983, Channel 0/28 was renamed Network 0–28, coinciding with a new logo featuring the new name underneath the globe.<ref name="history" /> On 18 February 1985, Network 0–28 was renamed SBS TV,<ref name="TheAge1985-02-07" /> coinciding with a new logo featuring the letters SBS underneath the globe, however in 1989, the logo was again updated with the globe removed.<ref name="history" />

A new SBS logo was launched in March 1993, featuring five blue curved splices, described as the "Mercator" logo (named as the shapes look like a mercator globe in 2D), with the letters SBS in white on top.<ref name="history" /> The idents in 1995–2003 usually show the Mercator logo without the letters SBS. The five splices represented the continents of the world and the angle represented the tilt of the Earth's axis.

The new logo and a major revamp was launched on 7 May 2008, reducing the number of splices into four, and shifting the perspective and angle so that each splice is larger than the last.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=SBS: SIX BILLION STORIES AND COUNTING |date=17 April 2008 |publisher=[[Special Broadcasting Service]] |url=http://www20.sbs.com.au/sbscorporate/index.php?id=1248 |access-date=29 January 2024 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100302171557/http://www20.sbs.com.au/sbscorporate/index.php?id=1248 |archive-date=2 March 2010}}</ref> The logo was modified on 1 June 2009 to coincide with the renaming of the channel to "SBS ONE".<ref name="2009rebrand" />

On 4 July 2015 SBS launched a modified version of its 2008 logo when its main channel changed its name back to 'SBS TV'.<ref name="2015rebrand" /> The "SBS ONE" name is still used on electronic program guides.

On 8 February 2019, SBS' new slogan ''A World of Difference'' was revealed. The channel rebranded with the slogan the following day, in time for [[Eurovision – Australia Decides]].<ref name="A World of Difference">{{Cite web |last=Knox |first=David |date=8 February 2019 |title=SBS: "A World of Difference" |url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2019/02/sbs-a-world-of-difference.html |access-date=5 April 2024 |website=[[TV Tonight]] |language=en-AU}}</ref>

<gallery widths=180>
File:SBS 1993.svg|March 1993 – 7 May 2008
File:Special Broadcasting Service logo.svg|7 May 2008 – 31 May 2009
File:SBSOne Logo.svg|1 June 2009 – 3 July 2015
File:SBS logo.svg|4 July 2015 – 8 February 2019
File:SBS Australia Logo (2019).svg|8 February 2019 – present
</gallery>

===Identity history===
*29 April – 22 July 1979: ''This is SBS, Ethnic Television''. ''(used for SBS TV's test transmissions)''
*February – May 1980: ''A Whole New Look at Television''.
*24 October 1980 – 14 October 1983: ''Channel 0 – A Whole World of People/Entertainment''.
*January 1982: ''Channel 0/28, Celebrating Australia Week 1982''.
*14 October 1983 – 18 February 1985: ''Network 0–28 – Bringing the World Back Home''.
*18 February 1985 – 1986: ''We're SBS – Bringing the World Back Home''.
*1986–1988: ''Discover the Difference''.
*1989–1996: ''Bringing the World Back Home''.
*1998–2004: ''Your world is an amazing place''
*2005–2006: ''Nobody sees the world like SBS''
*2006–2008: ''There's more to Summer on SBS''.
*7 May 2008 – 27 October 2011: ''Six Billion Stories and Counting''.
*28 October 2011 – 13 June 2014: ''Seven Billion Stories and Counting''.
*14 June 2014 – 3 July 2015: ''Join In''
*8 February 2019 – present: ''A World of Difference''<ref name="A World of Difference" />

==See also==
{{Portal|Television|Australia}}
*[[List of digital television channels in Australia]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{official website|https://www.sbs.com.au/}}
*{{Facebook|SBSAustralia}}
*{{Instagram|sbs_australia}}

{{SBS Television}}
{{SBS Television programming}}
{{Free-to-air television channels in Australia}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sbs (Australian Tv Channel)}}
[[Category:Special Broadcasting Service]]
[[Category:English-language television stations in Australia]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1980]]
[[Category:1980 establishments in Australia]]