SBS started in 1975 as two ethnic radio stations, 2EA in Sydney and 3EA in Melbourne, which were in their early days licensed only for three months with the mission to inform ethnic communities about planned changes in the country’s healthcare system. Three years later, SBS was established. The broadcaster’s mission is cultural, namely to provide multicultural and multilingual broadcast programs for all of Australia’s communities. Today, the chain airs six television channels and nine radio stations.
Media assets
Television: NiTV, SBS Viceland, SBS Food, SBS World Movies; Radio: SBS Radio
State Media Matrix Typology: Independent State-Funded (ISF)
Ownership and governance
SBS was established in 1978 through the Broadcasting and Television Amendment Act 1977. In 1991, the Special Broadcasting Service Act (known as the SBS Act) was adopted establishing SBS as a corporation. The same law set out the broadcaster’s charter.
The main governing structure at SBS is a Board of Directors whose members are appointed based on a procedure similar to that at ABC.
Source of funding and budget
SBS is funded through a combination of state financing and advertising revenues. First, the Broadcasting and Television Amendment Act 1977 allowed SBS to accept sponsorships with approval of the minister. The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) Act of 1991 allowed the station to sell ads or sponsorship announcements (with some limits imposed on the amount of ad space that can be aired per hour of broadcasting).
Yet, the government funding still accounts for the largest part of SBS’ budget. In the 2021 financial year ending on 30 June 2021, SBS received a state subsidy of A$ 296m (US$ 211m), which accounted for nearly 70% of the broadcaster’s total budget, according to a company annual report. In the following fiscal year, SBS received a total of A$310m from the government, according to a company report. The station generated some A$153m in the fiscal year ending June 2022. The government said that it is committed to securing A$ 335m in state funding for SBS for the following five years.
Editorial independence
Like its sister public service media company ABC, SBS is governed by a set of rules and legal provisions that expressly forbid authorities and politicians from interfering with the broadcaster’s editorial agenda. As a result, SBS also scores highly in various public surveys about the trust in media institutions.
The main document that establishes the editorial independence of the SBS is the SBS Act that provides for both the editorial and administrative independence of the Corporation. At the same time, as its sister broadcaster ABC, SBS follows a series of editorial obligations that ensure the highest standards of public accountability.
These rules are regularly complied with while the guarantees for independence that are enshrined in law are generally respected.
There are assessment and oversight mechanisms in place at the SBS that validate the independence of the broadcaster. The ministry of communications and the arts regularly commissions independent reviews of the SBS’ performance (which are made public).
Moreover, the broadcaster has a wide variety of mechanisms to receive editorial complaints and to allow its community to monitor, follow and get involved in the activities of the broadcaster.
August 2023