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Renewed arguments take aim at SBS

With SBS VICELAND set to launch in mid-November, SBS is facing new questions over its direction.

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SBS is about to face another assault on its direction, following confirmation that US-Canadian owned Vice Media will be the dominant producer of content on SBS VICELAND.

The channel will replace SBS 2 from mid-November, after 7 years on air.

Some SBS 2 content will remain, including The Feed, but SBS is yet to confirm its full programming suite.

SBS has not clarified whether the program supply deal is based on a revenue sharing agreement with Vice Media.

The Australian today hears from former ABC chairmen about the role of the multicultural broadcaster as it reports on SBS VICELAND content including “documentaries and reality series about underground comedians, cannabis culture, and illegal economic activity. Show titles include Weediquette, and Balls Deep.”

Former ABC chairman Maurice Newman slammed the move, saying it showed the SBS had “run out of reasons to exist” and ­argued management at the broadcaster was no longer being “true to their charter”.

Donald McDonald, who was ABC chairman between 1996 and 2006, questioned the decision to buy in programming from the US market. David Hill, ABC managing ­director from 1987-95 said “first and foremost” Australian public broadcasters should be about “local” content.

Meanwhile lobby group Save Our SBS has been a longtime critic of the broadcaster’s moves away from content in foreign languages saying, “For some time, the Special Broadcasting Service has seen itself as a station of broad general appeal.”

It continued, “….during primetime SBS screens a lot of UK and USA programs – in English. These are overrepresented to the extent that multiculturalism is at best incidental, and at worst non-existent. If viewers want such programs, there is an abundance elsewhere without SBS duplicating the dominant culture of other channels.”

SBS sources have indicated the broadcaster will be able to choose the best on-Charter content from Vice Media, some of which is produced in other territories.

“Programming will focus on a distinct, immersive style of original lifestyle and culture content for young viewers and will feature Australian-produced programs,” SBS said in a previous statement.

Screen Producers Australia is yet to comment on the new channel and the amount of local content it will offer.

5 Responses

  1. As always, everyone is quick to start kicking the SBS.. this time for its programming agreement with Vice, without actually seeing the ‘new’ channel’s programme schedule.

    It’s obvious that SBS are looking for innovative ways to stretch their limited resources and still offer interesting viewing alternatives to the other four FTA networks. Going into programming partnerships with suppliers like Scripps and Vice works for all parties involved; Scripps and Vice get greater exposure for their content and brands in Australia, SBS get to attract a broader range of viewers to their channels.

    SBS may be a public broadcaster, but they’re also reliant on advertising revenue (hence the need for more viewers). Multiculturalism doesn’t just mean ethnic; culture comes in all forms including food and youth. If people don’t like where the SBS is heading, then lobby the government to fund it…

  2. While Food Network made perfect sense to me as a new channel for SBS, I think cannibalising SBS 2 (a perfectly good, although undermarketed channel) into VICELAND is a terrible mistake. SBS2 is great with its strange docos, South Park, Mythbusters, Gadget Man ect. Replacing it odd VICE propaganda I don’t think will boost ratings for them and I imagine it will be more expensive.

    I don’t agree that SBS need to go back to the roots of LOTE and low-budget programs, but I don’t quite like this direction they’re going in either. They need to become more modern, but they don’t need to kill everything to do it.

  3. I’m glad someone is questioning this decision and the direction of SBS. This is potentially damaging to the future of SBS and the government could be justified in cutting its future budgets.

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