| Television |
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| SBS Television
Unique programming from Australia and the world SBS Television is unique to Australia, and to the world. It is a multicultural and multilingual service that combines the best and most diverse programming from around the world with quality and innovative local productions that expose the dynamism of Australia’s cultural diversity. Programming As far as possible, depending on availability and quality, SBS provides programs across all languages spoken in the community. Programs in more than 60 languages make up the television schedule and more than half of its transmission hours are in languages other than English. With English subtitles these programs are accessible to all Australians, allowing cultures to be shared, understood and appreciated. Hundreds of hours of films, documentaries, dramas, arts, animation, comedy and music programs are subtitled each year by SBS. No other network in the world broadcasts in as many languages, and none can match SBS's access to more than 400 international and national program sources. SBS Television reaches diverse audiences with programs that entertain, educate and inform; programs that explore the human condition, expose and analyse world events, and illuminate issues of social concern and public debate. News Highly regarded for its international news coverage, SBS Television has access to more international news sources, and broadcasts more world news than any other free-to-air Australian television network. Exclusive to SBS are 60 hours of international news bulletins broadcast each week on the WorldWatch program. Mostly targeted at the estimated three million Australians who speak a language other than English in their homes, the WorldWatch weekly morning schedule includes news bulletins in 18 languages from 19 countries. SBS also transmits Australia’s only all-news digital service, the World News Channel. Drawing on the same WorldWatch resources, the World News Channel transmits 20 hours a day and broadcasts a total of 140 hours of international news bulletins each week. Films & Sport With an international film library of more than 4,000 titles, SBS broadcasts an average of 18 movies each week and as many as 250 first-run movies each year. Sports are a high priority. Only SBS has a nightly world sports program in prime time, and its extensive coverage, particularly of soccer, cycling and athletics, has attracted a strong following. Documentaries SBS also has a reputation as the leading documentary broadcaster among Australia’s free-to-air networks. In 2004, more than 800 hours of documentaries were broadcast, ranging across an extremely diverse range of topics and drawn from a wide range of countries, as well as Australia. The works of independent Australian filmmakers are showcased in two separate prime time slots: half-hour ‘human interest’ documentaries in Inside Australia, and one-hour ‘issue’ documentaries in Storyline Australia. SBS's quality in-house productions and commissioned programs explore contemporary Australian lives, experiences and viewpoints. These programs, that range from documentaries, drama, comedies and animation, reach across virtually all languages spoken in the community. By actively targeting prejudice, racism and discrimination, SBS helps to raise understanding and an appreciation of cultural diversity. Transmission SBS Television began analogue transmissions in 1980, initially restricted to the cities of Sydney and Melbourne, and over the years has extended its services nationwide. Today, SBS’s analogue service reaches 95% of all Australians. SBS’s digital television services began in January 2001 and currently reach an estimated 80% of the population. |
