SBS was the first Australian TV network to present an upfront event to promote the upcoming 2026 season.
With a World Cup themed presentation to a room of approximately 400 media buyers, partners, and journalists, SBS Acting General Manager Jane Palfreyman launched the 40 minute event.
In the spirit of sex before soccer, Palfreyman and the audience copped an eyeful with an ‘unexpected’ nudie run cameo from the charismatic lead of its memorable We Go There ad campaign.
Sports
SBS is preparing for a huge year of sport, headlined by its exclusive coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2026™. In less than a year, the network will deliver more than 550 hours of live and on-demand coverage, positioning itself as the home of the world game.
The tournament, hosted across Canada, Mexico and the United States, will feature a record 104 matches under a new 48-team format. SBS will broadcast every game live in HD, supported by replays, highlights and pitch-side reporting throughout the Socceroos’ campaign.
A dedicated FIFA World Cup hub on SBS On Demand will give fans flexible access to matches, classic moments and behind-the-scenes stories, while SBS Sport will extend the coverage with digital and social storytelling across the six-week event.
SBS will also add FIFA+ to its FAST channel line-up, providing 24/7 access to FIFA content and global football stories from both the men’s and women’s games.
Alongside football, SBS has confirmed it will remain the free-to-air home of cycling through to 2030. The renewed rights deal includes the Tour de France Femmes, which joins SBS’s existing portfolio of the Tour de France, La Vuelta a España and Europe’s one-day Classics.
The People Vs Robodebt
Documentaries
Leading the line-up is The People Vs Robodebt, a three-part documentary-drama described as a political thriller at its core. The series revisits one of Australia’s most contentious recent scandals, highlighting the people who challenged a powerful system and exposing the human impact of the Robodebt scheme.
The Australia Uncovered strand also continues, with two newly announced titles.
Shut Your Big Fat Mouth John Safran! sees the author, satirist and documentarian unpack the growing culture wars around censorship in Australia. Meanwhile, We Are Jeni follows the extraordinary story of a woman with 2,500 alter personalities whose fight for recognition in the justice system led to a legal milestone.
Two returning commissions, The Hospital: In the Deep End and The Jury, will build on their first-season success.
The former brings Matt Preston, Jelena Dokic and Ruby Rose back into St Vincent’s Hospital to explore life on the frontline of healthcare. The latter stages a five-part true crime experiment, recreating a closely contested manslaughter case word-for-word before a new jury.
Marc Fennell will also return in 2026 with a diverse slate. Alongside hosting Mastermind, he fronts two new documentaries: Tell Me What You Really Think, an intimate dinner series exploring complex health issues, and There is No John, which investigates the mysterious and dramatic case of John Friedrich, one of Australia’s most puzzling true crime stories.
The Hospital with Matt Preston and Ruby Rose
Old Favourites
SBS’s breakout survival hit Alone Australia will return in 2026 for its fourth season, with the series moving to its most ambitious setting yet: the Arctic Circle.
The new season flips the globe and raises the stakes, sending 10 participants into the harsh conditions of a Northern Hemisphere winter.
The format remains unchanged: the last person standing will walk away with a $250,000 prize. What has changed is the scale of the challenge, with the series now testing participants against one of the most extreme environments on earth.
SBS is continuing its focus on stories of identity, heritage and celebration in 2026, with the return of several audience favourites.
Bruce McAvaney and Aaron Penderson
Who Do You Think You Are? will enter its 17th year, with a new cast of well-known Australians uncovering their family histories. The 2026 line-up includes actor Essie Davis, broadcaster Chrissie Swan, actor Aaron Pedersen and sports commentator Bruce McAvaney. Each will trace surprising and personal stories from their past.
Shaun Micallef will also return with a new season of Origin Odyssey. The series takes six familiar Australian faces on immersive journeys back to their countries of origin, blending history, culture and identity with Micallef’s trademark humour.
SBS will again be the home of the Eurovision Song Contest, following an audience of 2.62 million Australians this year. The 2026 contest will be broadcast live from Vienna, with commentary from Tony Armstrong and Courtney Act guiding viewers through the spectacle.
SBS Eurovision – Tony Armstrong and Courtney Act
Blockbusters
SBS will continue to expand its slate of international drama in 2026, adding a mix of high-profile series and award-winning films to its schedule.
Among the headline titles is King & Conqueror, an epic saga of power and betrayal starring James Norton and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.
Three major book-to-screen adaptations are also on the way: What It Feels Like for a Girl, a Y2K coming-of-age story inspired by Paris Lees’ memoir exploring gender identity and self-discovery; Trespasses, starring Gillian Anderson, set during the Troubles in Northern Ireland; and A Love Story, a BBC One series from Dancing Ledge (The Salisbury Poisonings, The Responder) that recounts Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s imprisonment in Iran and eventual reunion with her family.
The drama offering will be supported by a strong selection of world movies.
SBS will showcase the acclaimed French mystery Anatomy of a Fall, Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla starring Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi, Juliette Binoche in period romance The Taste of Things, and Australian horror feature The Moogai, led by Shari Sebbens.
Drama
SBS will expand its commitment to original Australian drama in 2026, unveiling two major new SBS Originals and three series developed through its Digital Originals program with Screen Australia.
The Chaplain is set in the high-pressure environment of Melbourne Airport, inspired by the real-life experiences of its chaplain.
The series is described as a big-hearted drama that explores the intensity of airport life while highlighting shared humanity, emotion and humour.
In partnership with NITV, Reckless will bring a First Nations-led story to screen. Created by writer and executive producer Kodie Bedford, the drama stars Tasma Walton and Hunter Page-Lochard as estranged siblings whose lives spiral out of control after a deadly hit-and-run cover-up.
Alongside these SBS Originals, the network has announced three new projects emerging from its Digital Originals initiative, which focuses on supporting new and under-represented creative voices.
Fish Boi follows a hustler attempting to rebuild his family’s respect by launching Western Sydney’s biggest fish delivery business. Homebodies tells the story of Darcy, who returns home to his estranged mother only to discover she is living with the ghost of his pre-transition teenage self.
Miss Sultanah centres on sisters Alana and Nicky as they launch a disabled-only beauty pageant to honour their mother’s legacy as a beauty queen.
Colleano Heart
First Nations Stories
NITV will continue to foreground First Nations voices in 2026, announcing a slate of new and returning programs that highlight strength, resilience and community across Australia.
Among the key titles is 2.6 Seconds, a landmark documentary series co-commissioned with SBS. The series examines the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Walpiri Luritja teenager Kumanjayi Walker by police officer Zachary Rolfe, unpacking the shocking moments that captured national and international attention.
Also announced is Colleano Heart, which traces the hidden legacy of a famous circus family. The series follows descendants as they reconnect across continents to uncover their Aboriginal ancestry and global stardom, told through rare home movies, never-before-seen footage, family interviews and archival recordings.
Our Medicine will return with new episodes, continuing to spotlight the work of First Nations health workers reclaiming Indigenous healthcare.
Alongside these titles, NITV will expand its curated content offering.
Earth Oven, fronted by Māori actor Temuera Morrison, explores how earth ovens have shaped cultures around the world. Going Places with Ernie Dingo also returns, with guests including Mark Coles Smith and Brooke Blurton, as they explore some of Australia’s most significant landmarks and uncover stories of people, history and landscape.
Earth Oven
Food
Food remains central to SBS’s programming strategy in 2026, with a slate of new and returning series that combine global flavours, cultural storytelling and personal journeys.
Later this month, Beyond Bali with Lara Lee will premiere. The chef, author and television personality explores the Indonesian archipelago, uncovering both surprising new dishes and her own culinary heritage.
Shane Delia returns with Shane Delia’s Malta, revisiting the land of his ancestors to examine how history and tradition shape Maltese food culture.
Adam Liaw will feature heavily across the line-up. He continues as host of SBS’s largest commissioned food series, The Cook Up with Adam Liaw, while also fronting Adam Liaw’s Great Football Feasts, filmed across FIFA World Cup host nations Canada, Mexico and the USA. The new series links food and sport, with Liaw meeting locals and creating game-day dishes inspired by each country.
Adam Liaw’s Great Football Feast
International chef Rick Stein will embark on a more personal journey in Rick Stein’s Australia. Revisiting the adventures of his 19-year-old self, Stein explores how Australia – and its food – have changed over time.
Closer to home, Matt Preston’s FoodAdventures sees the food critic travel through Australian and New Zealand wine regions, meeting farmers, artisans and winemakers to highlight the people behind local produce.
Rounding out the slate is the second season of Taste of the Tropics. Produced in partnership with SBS, Screen Queensland and Screenworks, the series showcases stories from emerging regional creators in North and Far North Queensland, spotlighting how food shapes community and identity.