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Where are the dramas on SBS VICELAND?

Don't youth deserve dramas too?

Since launching last November youth-skewing SBS VICELAND has not premiered any new Drama titles, and launched just one new Comedy, the FX-produced Atlanta.

Elsewhere it has screened new episodes of South Park, Drunken History and Brooklyn 99.

But while SBS 2 brought us titles such as Orphan Black, Bullet in the Face, Skins, Him & Her, Threesome, The Returned, Lost Girl, Real Humans, 12 Monkeys, The Protectors, The Walking Dead, UnREAL and a wide range of comedies, the hours of scripted content on VICELAND are modest at best.

While there are plenty of new titles being added to the excellent SBS On Demand, broadcast titles are dominated by documentaries and travel titles.

SBS VICELAND is the only Vice Media channel in the world that allows a hybrid programming, meaning SBS can readily add new dramas if it chooses. It isn’t clear if scripted acquisitions for the channel are now allocated less funding than SBS 2 enjoyed.

According to Real Screen, Vice Media is moving into scripted content with Nirvana the Band the Show, a mockumentary about two musicians trying to play a Toronto music venue, plus What Would Diplo Do?, in which actor James Van Der Beek portrays DJ Diplo on tour.

SBS VICELAND will continue new episodes of UnREAL, The Mindy Project, and has titles still under wraps.

21 Responses

  1. It lived up to my expectations….they were very small….and in HD I cannot watch…not that I did much…also I have always watched SBS on 30…cannot now…just sound…no pic…Oh well…not a biggy….

  2. VICELAND was a bad idea from the start in my opinion. I liked SBS 2, it had a whole range of different and fun programs, along with fun stuff like movies and anime.

    With this apparent new news of it being the first secondary channel to go HD, it’s a darn shame it has to go HD now with weaker content than before with stronger content.
    I would like to hope that SBS drops the Vice contract and change it back into what it was, although I know that’s very unlikely.

    I don’t know what they were thinking. I know SBS2 wasn’t great ratings wise, but Vice was not the direct to improve that.

    1. My take is that, altho’ the ratings are about the same, it’s costing SBS less and therefore represents a better return on investment. Remember, they were very keen for an extra few minutes per hour of advertising which the govt knocked back.

      Hopefully the extra $ will mean better programming on the main channel.

      1. The head of SBS made comments to that effect. The Viceland content costs a lot less than the SBS2 stuff it displaced. It appears SBS figured they could make more money with lower rating Viceland content because it’s so cheap.

        But he also pointed out that the Viceland programming is perfect for achieving SBS’s goal of explaining the world to people, in this case, young people. SBS1 primetime now features more UK and US focused docos than ever before, but the Viceland programs, despite their shortcomings, do take a very global view.

    1. I don’t think this is an Australia wide thing… Here in Perth the tv guide updated, but only to add “SBS Arabian Radio”. Nothing as exciting as another HD channel?

      1. From Saturday 8 April 2017, SBS VICELAND is available in HD on free-to-air channel 31. SBS has also made upgrades to its SBS HD service available on free-to-air on channel 30.

        What is SBS HD/ SBS VICELAND HD?

        SBS HD and SBS VICELAND HD are the high definition versions of those SBS channels. This means viewers can experience superior quality of television viewing than standard definition (SD) channels.

        Which channels is SBS now providing in HD?
        SBS’s primary channel SBS HD is available on channel 30, and from 8 April SBS VICELAND will be available in HD on channel 31.

        Do I need to retune to access SBS HD channels?
        Some viewers may be required to retune their televisions in order to receive the new SBS VICELAND HD channel, as well as the upgraded SBS HD channel. Some digital TV equipment will automatically detect changes and your set may retune itself, or it may prompt you…

  3. Hopefully Orphan Black is still on​ the June schedule (and fast-tracked). Would be a shame to lose the final season to another outlet.

  4. Pretty sure it launched on November, not June. Either way, so far I’ve watched nothing on this channel, compared to SBS2 when I used to find little gems and the start of something big like Orphan Black.

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