SBS produced Arabic and Mandarin news bulletins move to regular digital news videos delivered through the day, with more content for audiences
27 June, 2024
Media releases
With more audiences getting their news on digital platforms at a time that suits them, SBS is evolving its Arabic and Mandarin news offering from linear bulletins to short-form digital video news packages through the day.
Australia's multicultural public broadcaster is responding to audiences' changing needs, confirming it plans to shift its local SBS News in Arabic and SBS News in Mandarin offerings from linear television to regular short-form video news packages through the day, building on the network's existing SBS Arabic and SBS Chinese audio and digital language services and delivering more content to these growing audiences.
SBS is very proud of our weekday nightly Arabic and Mandarin news bulletins which have been running for over two years, said Mandi Wicks, Director of SBS News and Current Affairs. Our data shows us that more and more of these audiences are seeking out news on our digital platforms throughout the day. This decision to shift to digital delivery platforms reflects that demand for timely, regular video news updates and will see us produce a record amount of in-language content for these communities.
Over the past 12 months SBS has been successfully piloting the delivery of SBS News in Arabic and SBS News in Mandarin news packages on third-party platforms, contributing to more than 14.7 million video views on SBS Arabic's YouTube and Facebook accounts and more than 8.2 million video views on SBS Chinese's YouTube, Facebook, Weibo and WeChat accounts.
SBS remains strongly committed to providing trusted and impartial news in Arabic and Mandarin for our audiences. This development will see us delivering even more quality, factual digital news coverage around the clock, including on location around Australia, aimed at growing reach and giving audiences more choice and flexibility in how and when they engage with our content, said Pamela Cook, Acting Director of SBS Audio and Language Content and responsible for SBS's more than 60 language services. We are meeting the audience where they are, at a time that suits them, on their preferred platforms.
The Arabic and Mandarin TV news teams will become part of the long-running SBS Arabic (formerly SBS Arabic24) and SBS Chinese audio and digital language programs, focusing on videos, social media and podcasting. They will produce shorter, more frequent news packages for consumption throughout the day, resulting in an overall increase in daily content output for these language audiences with more timely delivery of video news.
Serving Australia's two largest non-English-speaking language groups, SBS News in Arabic and SBS News in Mandarin have been available free-to-air on the SBS WorldWatch channel since May 2022, providing live news bulletins every weeknight from 8-8.30pm and 8.30-9pm respectively. However, today's viewers are increasingly preferring digital platforms, with nearly half of all Australians (49%) using social media to access news (up 4pp on 2023) and online video news consumption becoming ever more popular[1].
The programming change reflects SBS's expanded offering of multilingual audio content over the past 12 months, driven by a digital-first approach across radio, online, social and podcasting to better meet audiences' changing needs. SBS has been recognised as Best Publisher at the Australian Podcast Awards for the past two years running, and, excluding podcasts, currently produces more than 450 hours of distinctive multicultural content weekly for its SBS Audio platforms which include FAST channels on streaming platform SBS On Demand.
According to the latest Australian Census, nationally there are over 367,000 Arabic speakers (median age 30-34) and over 685,000 Mandarin speakers (median age 30-34), with this digital change ensuring SBS continues to deliver on its Charter of building connection and belonging by strengthening awareness and understanding of the increasing cultural diversity of contemporary Australia.
Content can be accessed via all SBS Arabic and SBS Chinese platforms, including dedicated YouTube channels for SBS Arabic and SBS Chinese, with the existing SBS Arabic24 DAB+ channel and online brand rebranded to SBS Arabic. Content can also be accessed via the SBS Audio website and app which can be downloaded via the App Store for iOS and Google Play for Android. Selected content is also available wherever audiences consume podcasts and radio streams, including Apple Podcasts, LiSTNR, Spotify and TuneIn.
For a PDF of the media release click here
[1] Digital News Report 2024
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Liberty University on why broadcast technology isn't just a technical invest...
08/05/2026
COW Jobs: UGC, On-Camera Video Content
Brie Clayton May 7, 2026
0 Comments
UGC, On-Camera Video Content
April 17, 2026Documentary Editor - US,......
07/05/2026
Journalists reporting on Sudan are working in one of the most complex and fast-m...
07/05/2026
Multi-year partnership positions Victory+ as a free home for Dallas Cowboys orig...
07/05/2026
From sideline reporting to directing and producing, the talented sophomore is building a well-rounded foundation for a career in live sports production
In the ...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital has received two Future Best of Show awards at NAB Show 2026. The COBALT blueCORE platform was recognized by TV Tech, and the COBALT PACIFIC ULL-...
07/05/2026
ESPN analyst Mina Kimes will host the televised semifinals and finals of the 202...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI, the global film streaming platform, has selected Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner. Bitmovin's encoding infrastru...
07/05/2026
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and the U.S. Soccer Federation have announced...
07/05/2026
Angel City Football Club (ACFC) and Victory have announced a regional broadcast partnership bringing live match coverage to fans across the greater Los Angeles...
07/05/2026
Spiideo has announced the launch of AI Highlights inside Spiideo Play, its automated sports production platform. AI Highlights combines video, event data, audio...
07/05/2026
Leostream Corporation has announced a unified remote access ecosystem for high-p...
07/05/2026
The Atlanta Dream has partnered with Victory to stream all locally broadcast Dream games for free, expanding the team's digital distribution strategy and g...
07/05/2026
Riedel Communications has announced the appointment of Marc Engroff as Chief Fin...
07/05/2026
SES and ARD, Germany's largest public broadcasting network, have announced a long-term extension of their satellite distribution partnership through 2039. U...
07/05/2026
UpLight Technologies delivers a flexible video and lighting system for a new televised sportLaunching the Pro Cheer League required more than creating a compell...
07/05/2026
Full Day Productions and GSE Worldwide have announced Spikes Under the Lights, a...
07/05/2026
Seit dem Start im Jahr 2023 hat DJ (Beta) das personalisierte H rerlebnis von 94...
07/05/2026
Da quando stata presentata nel 2023, DJ (beta) ha aiutato a definire un'esperienza d'ascolto pi personalizzata per 94 milioni di utenti Spotify Premi...
07/05/2026
Since launching in 2023, DJ (beta) has helped shape a more personalized listenin...
07/05/2026
Desde o lan amento em 2023, o DJ (beta) j ajudou a deixar a experi ncia de ouvi...
07/05/2026
From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It's what's driven us to expand from music to...
07/05/2026
Asian and Pacific Islander artists continue to shape the global soundscape, pushing creative boundaries and connecting with fans worldwide. This Asian & Pacific...
07/05/2026
Company announce long-requested choir instrument
In the latest expansion of their Symphonic Elements series, UJAM have introduced an all-new vocal instrumen...
07/05/2026
Modular-inspired sound generation with digital control
Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company's complex oscill...
07/05/2026
Combines analogue voices with digital synthesis and sequencing
Polyend have announced Drums, a new hybrid analogue and digital drum machine that combines sy...
07/05/2026
Control surface now officially supports four DAWs
When Nektar launched the Panorama CS12 control surface, it worked exclusively with Apple's Logic Pro, ...
07/05/2026
In the first quarter 2026, SGL Carbon generated consolidated sales of 184.5 million, which was 49.8 million, or 21.3%, lower than in the prior year (Q1 2025: ...
07/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characteriz...
07/05/2026
Two multi-role L3Harris products - the Red Wolf launched effects vehicle and SK...
07/05/2026
L3Harris will be developing key features of a secure and resilient digital infra...
07/05/2026
Alysa Liu and Shohei Ohtani Help Drive Viewership as 91 of the Top 100 Broadcast...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital Wins Two Future Best of Show Awards at 2026 NAB Show
Manufacturer Recognized by TV Tech and TVBEurope for Innovation in signal processing
Cobal...
07/05/2026
Software and hardware platforms, AI power and user-friendliness on show...
07/05/2026
Intinor will demonstrate its latest technical enhancements for the Direkt series at BroadcastAsia 2026. With a continued focus on reliable contribution and remo...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI has chosen Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner, replacing MUBI's legacy on premises encoding setup to improve scalab...
07/05/2026
Meet Graduates from Berklees Class of 2026 Members of this years graduating class reflect on their proudest moments at Berklee and look ahead to whats next.
...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
At BroadcastAsia 2026, Interra Systems will demonstrate its latest innovations in automated quality control (QC), real-time monitoring, and captioning. The comp...
07/05/2026
At this year's Broadcast Asia, PlayBox Neo is set to unveil recent innovations across its PlayBox Neo Suite and integrated range of broadcast media solution...
SBS produced Arabic and Mandarin news bulletins move to regular digital news videos delivered through the day, with more content for audiences 
