SBS will inspire Australians with a distinctive slate for 2017
Tuesday, 15 November 2016
News Release
SBS will inspire Australians with a distinctive slate for 2017
* Three new Australian dramas including the return of The Family Law
* An exciting new commissioned food series for 6pm weeknights
* 11 new Australian commissions across documentary, food and factual entertainment
* Food Network turns 1, and SBS 2 relaunches as SBS VICELAND from 4pm today
* 13 new Indigenous productions on NITV
* Launch of the Diversity Works Challenge: $1 million free advertising to promote diversity
SBS has today unveiled its 2017 line-up, showcasing a slate of programs exploring stories of contemporary multicultural Australia, and tackling issues in a way that inspires, challenges and brings the nation together across its network.
Across unique dramas, innovative documentaries, and an evolving approach to its iconic food shows, SBS will create moments that get Australia talking, that surprise with new perspectives, and entertain with heart-warming and powerful stories.
SBS Managing Director, Michael Ebeid; said: SBS is delivering a year of our boldest and most distinctive programs yet. As well as our core SBS services in news and current affairs, sport, in-language programs and Indigenous media, we've got a fantastic slate of diverse and contemporary programs, with authentic and unique propositions that you can't find anywhere else.
SBS has had a great 2016 having grown audiences, bucking industry trends, and with this line-up SBS will continue to build on this momentum in 2017.
At a time when there is a growing connection between economic disadvantage and racially motivated resentment, fear and uncertainty around the world and on our shores, the role of SBS in helping Australians to understand each other better has never been more relevant and important.
Director of TV and Online Content, Marshall Heald, said: At SBS, our big picture objective is to make a positive contribution towards a healthier and more united Australian society, through incredible storytelling. We are Australia's most distinctive media organisation, focused on delivering programs that inspire Australians to seek out different perspectives; to feel a sense of connection, belonging and empowerment.
We're excited to be taking our offering for young Australians to a whole a new level with the launch of SBS VICELAND this afternoon. The channel brings together the best of local and international SBS 2 programs with new VICELAND shows from their growing global network, and will feature culturally diverse programs made for and by socially conscious young adults who want to change the world, not just observe it - all available for free on TV and on SBS On Demand.
Across SBS, SBS VICELAND, Food Network, NITV and of course SBS On Demand, 2017 will be a bumper year of programs that will give Australians a richer, deeper understanding of the world. We are committed to telling tough stories, as well as entertaining, and continuing to innovate in our approaches and the way Australians can experience our content, Heald added.
In 2017, SBS will tell uniquely Australian stories with two new local commissioned dramas bringing diverse faces to Australian screens. Sunshine will explore the world of South Sudanese refugees in Melbourne, following the story of a young basketball star forced to fight for his innocence after being accused of an assault, while Safe Harbour is a bold psychological thriller about a group of friends whose holiday of a lifetime alters their lives forever after crossing paths with a raft overloaded with asylum seekers when sailing around Australia.
These new drama series will be joined by the next chapter of Benjamin Law's coming-of-age story with the return of The Family Law, once again following the adventures of this gloriously dysfunctional - and universally relatable - Chinese-Australian family.
SBS will also continue to do what it does best in 2017: lead important national conversations through 12 commissioned factual programs and documentaries that will explore cultural diversity, provoke debate, and inspire change.
In February, I'm Not Racist, But will tackle racism head on with three commissioned documentaries using different storytelling techniques, including hidden cameras, science experiments and a specially commissioned national survey, to expose and examine intolerance in Australia today - showing the very worst of people, but also the very best.
Later in the year, an SBS adaptation of the iconic BBC format Filthy Rich and Homeless, presented by Indira Naidoo, will give Australians a new perspective on what life is like for the nation's growing homeless population, and the complexities of poverty will be explored in a second series of Struggle Street.
As SBS continues to pursue new and innovative ways to explore cultural diversity, it will introduce two new formats to Australia next year with Look Me in the Eye, an exciting new social experiment based on the proven counseling technique of non-verbal communication, hosted by Ray Martin; and Undressed which promises to be the most diverse dating show to hit Australian screens, with an opportunity for SBS to explore the Charter in a fun - and cheeky - way.
Cultural exploration and discovery through food reaches a new level on SBS in 2017 with the launch of The Chefs Line. A new format for weeknights at 6pm, over 13 weeks the series will explore the heritage, history and diversity that drives Australia's restaurant culture, with home cooks challenging the very best chefs in cuisines across the country. SBS's much-loved culinary connoisseur, Maeve O'Meara, will be the anchor for the series, joined by Sydney chef Dan Hong (Mr Wong, Ms G's), renowned Indigenous chef Mark Olive (Black Ol
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SBS will inspire Australians with a distinctive slate for 2017
