The Feed marks its first birthday

SBS 2 news show The Feed marks a year on air today, as pitching itself at the youthful, thinking viewer.

While the numbers are modest the show has still managed to rack up some achievements, including a Walkley nomination, and tackled some subjects that the others readily avoid (especially in an early evening timeslot).

And then there is the Celebrity Chin Wag.

Here’s how SBS looked back at the last year.

Since the show hosted by Marc Fennell with reports from Jeanette Francis, Andy Park and Patrick Abboud expanded to its current half hour format in January 2014 it has increased its Metro audience by 18 per cent.

The Feed’s most recent episode on Thursday May 15 averaged 68,000 (combined Metro and Regional). This was the most watched episode since September 2013.

The Feed has also played a key part in increasing the average evening audience of SBS 2’s target demographic of 16-39 year olds which is up by 28.6% since relaunch in April last year.

In the last year The Feed has not only proved popular with younger audiences but has also been recognised for its achievements in journalism. Reporter Patrick Abboud was nominated for his first Walkley Award for his report ‘Tagging the Taliban’ which explored the oppression of women in Afghanistan through multimedia graphics and Skype interviews with a 23-year-old Afghani graffiti artist.

The show also broke several exclusive stories throughout its first year with host Marc Fennell road testing the first pair of Google glasses in Australia, reporter Patrick Abboud gaining unprecedented access to a group of Palestinian women smuggling their husband’s and loved ones sperm out of high security Israeli prisons, as well as Andy Park reporting for the first time on the oldest and most secretive cross dressing society in Australia – The Seahorse Society.

In its first year the show had its first story go viral with the feature story on artist Casey Jenkins titled Vaginal Knitting reaching close to 5 million views on the SBS 2 Youtube channel.

The Feed is also responsible for the hugely popular ‘Celebrity Chin Wag’ with credible well respected SBS World News reporter Lee Lin Chin reporting on the latest celebrity gossip each week.

The Feed next week will go where others fear to tread with Taboo Week, a whole week exploring the stories others aren’t brave enough to touch with reports on housewife escorts, gay surfers, fat activists, and couple’s that chose not to have children. Taboo week starts Monday May 26 at 7:30pm.

7:30pm weeknights on SBS 2.