SBS shocked and surprised attendees as the first upfront of the season with the star of its We Go There ad campaign doing a cheeky nudie run.
After the bold shenanigans, Acting General Manager Jane Palfreyman got the hour-long show on the road, highlighting the broadcaster’s content, innovations and offerings slated for 2026.
Mediaweek caught up with media buyers from holding companies and independent agencies to get their thoughts on the presentation’s biggest selling points.
Jay Malig, Atomic 212° National Trading Lead, told Mediaweek SBS’s emphasis on culture and diversity stood out for him.
“By prioritising global, locally produced and First Nations content, SBS aims to own key cultural moments in 2026, offering a significant opportunity to engage with multicultural Australia.”
Jay Malig
For Malig, the “highly convenient live broadcast times” of the FIFA Men’s World Cup is a “significant advantage” for Australian fans and advertisers.
“SBS is expected to maximise interest and viewership on SBS On Demand through live streams, replays, highlights, classic matches and magazine shows. I anticipate a substantial surge in new subscribers and views on the platform during the tournament, mirroring the impact recent sporting events have had on other broadcasters.”
Beyond the World Cup, he noted the diverse programming lineup from a Northern Irish police procedural drama, Scandinavian thrillers, French comedies and First Nations original content.
“This wide array of programs, in addition to core offerings like SBS World News, Alone Australia Season 4 and a dedicated food channel, is the primary driver behind the significant subscriber base of SBS on Demand.”
Malig acknowledged that while SBS’s audience numbers don’t rival those of other FTA networks, it emphasised the quality of its audience.
“Their unique programming offers more exclusive viewership with less duplication, leading to incremental reach. They also report significantly higher ad recall on linear TV – up to 47% –due to a lighter ad load compared to other networks.
“Furthermore, SBS has enhanced its audience targeting through SBS Datalab, leveraging 13 million unique IDs and allowing advertisers to match their own data.”
Sue Cant, Head of Investment at This Is Flow, highlighted the public broadcaster’s FIFA World Cup hub on SBS On Demand and FIFA+ FAST channel as factors that make the broadcaster a “critical partner for any brands looking for not just the sports crazy audiences but significant, large-scale audience reach.”
She said the launch of the restart, pause and rewind’ function across live TV on their On Demand platform as a marker of its dedication to “improving the overall consumer experience across all videos streamed on the platform.”
Sue Cant
Cant noted SBS’s focus on indigenous storytelling through NITV’s ‘heartbreaking to heartwarming’ content made them the “best partner for delivering strong community impact for brands.”
“But she pointed out that the industry can do more to show up for NITV content. We are all aware of what the 11% investment into Audio can do for campaign effectiveness (thank you Mark Ritson and CRA), surely, we can, and should be, investing more than 3% into NITV?
“It’s such an important, untapped space for brands to show up and can deliver incremental reach to really move the needle on any Screens campaign.
“As Anna Dancey quoted ‘To refuse diversity is to except decline’ – as agencies, we need to do better with educating clients and brands on what a platform like NITV can deliver for them.”
For Clare Zappia, Media and Investment Partner at Avenue C, SBS showcased how it “proudly pushes the envelope in representing all Australians from all walks of life.”
Zappia called NITV, Sustainability, International News, multilingual cross-platform content, ground-breaking docos and “jewel in the crown the 2026 FIFA World Cup as important highlights of the presentation.
Clare Zappia
Content and cross-promotion opportunities with the return of Alone for its fourth season and new programs and docos such as King and Conqueror, A Love Story, The Chaplain and The People vs Robodebt, stood out.
Much like This Is Flow’s Cant, Zappia noted the broadcaster’s urge for brands “consider putting just 3% of their budgets behind NITV content to ensure the continuation of an important service for Indigenous Australians.”
She also SBS’s ‘Brief Green’ initiative as an opportunity for brands to start making small changes to ensure they are reducing their impact with every campaign.
Ori Gold, CEO of Bench Media, said that SBS was clear in its position on a five-minute ad load per hour, which he noted was on par with global streamers averaging four to six compared to other broadcasters at fifteen to seventeen minutes.
“The real test is whether trusted journalism, multicultural content and major events like the FIFA World Cup can deliver more attention than Netflix, Disney+ and Prime, who have entered with ad-supported tiers of their own.
Ori Gold
Gold added: “The opt-out feature is bold, but SBS still needs to prove these innovations drive effectiveness at scale.”
Mediahub Group Investment Director, Rebecca Segall called SBS’s positioning during global major events such as FIFA World Cup 2026 reinforced its strength in multicultural storytelling and reach.
“Brands looking to connect with diverse communities, particularly first and second-generation Australians can use the World Cup as an authentic touchpoint. Brands who are planning on being active June/July 2026 should be taking into consideration the impact FIFA will have on media consumption.”
Segall highlighted innovations with SBS On Demand such as new restart, pause and rewind functions and the opt-out advertising function across alcohol, QSR and wagering moving will “be welcomed.”
Rebecca Segall
She called SBS’s lower ad minutage compared to other FTA commercial networks as “a nice, low clutter space for advertisers, therefore giving better ad recall and viewing experience for consumers.”
Segall was also pleased to hear a record number of brands are continuing to drive investment in NITV and First Nations media through the Beyond 3% initiative.
“Not only this, but we are starting to see the inclusion of NITV adding up to +1% incremental reach to traditional linear TV buys – a small, but very significant achievement for the network.”
For Elise Stark, Mindshare Marketplace Director, SBS social priorities – sustainability and diversity credentials, growth of NITV audiences and launch of Brief Green – were stand out announcements.
She called the 2026 diverse content programming slate “promising” with the likes of FIFA and Alone.
“This ongoing commitment to content diversity will continue to set SBS apart in market and support their role in expanding advertiser reach with audience incrementality the other broadcasters can’t replicate.
Elise Stark
“Their scale with new eyeballs, and a distinctive offering is really opening the door for SBS to be a true second or third network for our clients.”
Stark called out SBS’s expanded research into the Total TV landscape across 2026 as a highlight as it quantify Connected TV’s ability to drive results beyond vanity media KPIs, to real business impact such as brand equity, recall and prove marketing effectiveness.
Top image: Jay Malig, Sue Cant, Clare Zappia, Ori Gold, Rebecca Segall and Elise Stark