SBS Upfronts 2019

SBS champions an inclusive Australia with entertaining, genre-bending and impactful 2019 program line-up. The network also reveals new brand positioning - ‘A world of difference’.

  • Three new Australian commissioned dramas across SBS and SBS On Demand

  • New and returning Australian factual commissions across documentary, food and entertainment

  • 15 new scripted and non-scripted short form productions for SBS On Demand

  • Spotlight on Australian women’s sport with 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup™, W-League and WNBL

  • Four new slow TV events throughout January with ‘Slow Summer’

  • New 6pm program strip with iconic gameshow Mastermind

  • New faces to network including Noni Hazelhurst and Dr Charlie Teo

  • Kurt Fearnley, Scott Cam, Casey Donovan and Rodger Corser first names confirmed for Who Do You Think You Are?

  • The best new and returning international drama series exclusive to SBS including Das Boot, The Name of the Rose, Zero Zero Zero, Butterfly, The Good Fight and The Handmaid’s Tale

SBS has today revealed its 2019 program slate, with entertaining, genre-bending and impactful content that audiences won’t see anywhere else.

SBS will remain Australia’s most distinctive network in 2019, offering ‘a world of difference’ with a multi-platform line-up exploring diversity in Australia in all of its forms.

SBS Managing Director, James Taylor said: “As our sector continues to experience unprecedented change, SBS has embraced the opportunities this presents, and today we are proud to be connecting with more Australians than ever before.

“In a cluttered market, SBS continues to offer a genuine point of difference, championing the benefits of an inclusive society to inspire Australians to better understand and respect each other.

“As we navigate the changing face of modern Australia and the shifting needs of audiences, SBS’s 2019 line-up will continue to exemplify our unique Purpose with distinctive multiplatform content relevant to all Australians.”

Director of TV and Online Content, Marshall Heald , said: “At SBS, we tell stories and show people on screen that you don’t see anywhere else, giving a voice to communities that would otherwise go unheard. We thrive on telling stories that explore complex issues and can have meaningful impact; we look for creative approaches that scare us and concepts that will emotionally connect with audiences.

“We also want to celebrate the ways in which diversity enriches Australia, so even if we’re grappling with a serious issue, we are optimistic in our approach, and are always looking for the light in the dark.”

Today SBS also revealed a sneak peek of its new brand positioning for 2019 – SBS, a world of difference , which builds on past iconic brands including – ‘Bringing the world back home’; ‘The world is an amazing place’ and ‘Six billion stories and counting’.

Director of Marketing, Jane Palfreyman said: “Over the last 40 years, SBS has become a trusted and much loved part of our culture, as the only network to reflect the true make up of Australia. In 2019 SBS’s new brand proposition beautifully sums up our belief that together, our collective differences make for a better society… and better entertainment.

“These differences don’t just make a difference; they make a world of difference’ .”

The network will achieve this in 2019 through an impressive list of new programs, including two new commissioned Australian drama series, currently in production.