New SBS high definition free-to-air channel launching on 1 July 2019 on channel 32.
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Too bad they wonât be able to air the movies that are R18+ like they could on Foxtel.
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LCN-32 is currently home to SBS VICELAND SD, right? So presumably the launch of this new SBS World Movies channel will bring with it a wider LCN reshuffle.
Any word on whether thereâll be an SD version? Or is the multicultural broadcaster taking a risk by launching the first channel on Australian FTA TV to be available only in MPEG4 HD?
The article makes no mention of an SD simulcast which implies it will only be in HD. I wonder if SBS could drop the SD version of Viceland to make a bit of space?
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Honestly, good on SBS!
This is the type of stuff we need to see the other FTA broadcasters do.
It logically sounds like they are removing Viceland SD.
Good move by SBS IMO
All their channels will be in MPEG4 except the main channel.
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Stan has a deal for World Movies from SBS, wonder if this continues?
Absolutely - if we want TV to advance in this country (in terms of the number of multichannels & HD services offered), the number of households which can access MPEG4 channels needs to increase. The only way thatâs going to happen is if more networks follow SBSâ lead in âdrawing a line in the sandâ and (depending on how you view it) incentivize/force people to get new TVs/set-top-boxes in order to access âexclusiveâ channels like World Movies and Viceland
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Weâre launching a free-to-air movie channel: SBS World Movies
SBS World Movies free-to-air channel will bring world cinema to all Australians, all-day, every day, from July 1.
SBS has today announced that it will be bringing a channel dedicated to international cinema to all Australians with the launch of SBS World Movies free-to-air and in HD, from 1 July 2019.
The dedicated 24-hour channel will feature a diverse range of movies reaching all corners of the globe, building on SBSâs long legacy as the home of distinctive and multilingual films, including almost 25 years of World Movies as an offering on subscription services.
SBS World Movies will be a celebration of the diversity of global cinema with at least half the titles on the channel in a language other than English, and featuring everything from European art-house films to the best of Bollywood cinema, romantic comedies to anime, award-winning favourites, acclaimed new releases, and much more.
The channel will broadcast more than 700 films each year, with international titles including recent award winning and critically acclaimed films such as Amanda (France), The 12th Man (Norway), Just A Breath Away (France, pictured second from left), Ash is the Purest White (China, pictured above left), Aligarh (India, pictured above, right), Girl (Belgium), Killing of a Sacred Deer (UK, pictured above second from right), and many more. Launch titles will be announced in the coming weeks.
SBS World Movies will also feature curated seasons of special programming to mark cultural events, festivals and celebrations such as Diwali, Lunar New Year, International Womenâs Day and Mardi Gras.
Each week, the schedule will feature a Women in Film double-bills, as well as Festival Favourites and a showcase of films from countries with emerging film industries.
SBS World Movies will broadcast in HD on channel 32 alongside SBSâs existing channels, SBS, SBS VICELAND, SBS Food and NITV. SBS World Movies will also be SBSâs third HD channel.
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Iâm not sure that is correct as SBS Food and NITV are currently MPEG2 with the only MPEG4 channels the HD ones.
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Good addition to FTA. Doesnât SBS lose rights to some movies after a specified period though? It will need to add titles constantly to refresh its collection.
Donât see why it wouldnât - the Stan and Foxtel licensing deals are good for SBSâ bottom line
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All TV stations should hopefully be doing this.
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If/when the networks go all MPEG4, would it not be possible to fit in about four or five reasonable quality video streams within a 23mbps multiplex?
But for now, along with the main channel I reckon NITV would also have to remain in MPEG2 since many in the indigenous community probably wouldnât have MPEG4-ready equipment.
Even worse, classification times? Surely they wonât be restricted to PG at 6am/6pm etc?
Is there a narrowcast thing for FTA to get around these restrictions?
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Great move (a brand that is well missed since they were booted off Foxtel, and always kind of annoying that SBS has a massive back catalogue that isnât even consistently available on demand) , but will be interesting to see how they work around classification regulations / what content is shown during PG periods.
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You would think that the channel would adopt the classification regulations which apply to SBS and SBS Viceland since February:
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I question if they have enough G/PG movie content to fill 10 1/2hrs a day in that case without repeating content on a regular basis.
It was rare to see any G or PG classified films on the Foxtel era World Movies channel day to day.
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Shouldâve mentioned it earlier, but the fact there isnât a logo featured in the launch trailer for SBS World Movies suggests that the station branding is still being developed/kept under wraps?
Personally I hope thereâll be a fresh On-Air Presentation package rather than just a re-hash of the stuff used on the former World Movies Channel on Pay TV.
I donât know if this applies to SBS and their recently updated classification regulations, but donât the commercial networks have some weird thing where theyâre able to air M classification programs at 7.30pm while M classification movies have to wait until 8.30pm?
If the SBS main channel/VICELAND classification guidelines do apply to the new SBS World Movies channel, then that would be fairly reasonable.
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Does the guide in TV Week have room for another channel?
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