Credit: SBS
Media buyers say SBS has found its groove, using the 2026 upfront to sharpen its positioning around premium sport, diverse storytelling and smarter media delivery.
The broadcaster’s rights to the FIFA Men’s World Cup, with 104 matches scheduled in Australian-friendly time zones, was the centrepiece, but buyers also highlighted SBS’s lighter ad loads, data offering, sustainability push, and continued support for First Nations and multicultural content.
UM Australia group trading director Tom Carlon said SBS had a clear opportunity being the first network out with its upfront.
“SBS had the opportunity, being the first network upfront for 2026, to showcase their specific point of difference with their market leading sustainability report, support of first nations NITV, and market-first research, highlighting the effectiveness in ad-recall given their low clutter ad loads,” Carlon told AdNews.
He said the network has refined a strategy that combines major sporting moments with trusted news and consistent drama.
“While it is frequently said, next year will be our biggest year yet, SBS has started to perfect its formula underpinning key sporting events with the most commercially trusted news and consistent drama staples. SBS is in for a big year in 2026.
“They even managed to include a streaker to set the tone.”
Media analyst at Pearman, Steve Allen, offered a concise take on SBS’s challenges and strengths.
“SBS has a uniquely diverse offering across content and media types, which makes their upfront a complex task,” he told AdNews.
“This year, they delivered their best presentation yet, with strong leadership from Jane Palfreyman and a broad cast of on-screen talent reflecting that diversity.
NITV also reported an audience increase in prime time (+11%), which is a significant improvement despite overall viewing declines in younger demos.
“Without knowing the details behind this statement, our traditional measurement of 1,800 to 2,229 people, 16 to 54, YTD August was down just over 5%, this in itself is a dramatic improvement on 2024, compared with 2023," Palfreyman told AdNews.
“From the presentation slate, we believe SBS are in for another good, solid year.”
Avenue C managing partner, media, Daniel Cutrone, said SBS’s plans are bold but credible.
“With the FIFA World Cup landing in friendly time zones for Australian audiences, SBS has a platform primed to showcase its most diverse, premium slate to date," Cutrone told AdNews.
He said the programming slate, including Alone Australia S4, Shaun Micallef’s Origin Odyssey, Rogue Heroes and The Jury, spans genres and demographics, while the network’s ad-light model adds real performance value for advertisers.
“SBS is positioning itself as a true challenger to both global streamers and local incumbents, it has the capacity, confidence and content to make good on its bold promise.”
Starcom Australia’s Sydney head of investment Rebecca Ho said SBS stayed focused on its point of difference.
“SBS kicked off the 2026 Upfront season with an impressive presentation, focused and staying true to their distinctive point of difference, connecting with diverse audiences to drive meaningful impact through their bold and original storytelling," she told AdNews.
Ho said the network continues to evolve its proposition with purpose-driven tools and stronger targeting capability.
“It is initiatives like [BriefGreen] which will drive long-term positive impact, making a real difference in the industry.”
Ho pointed to the continued expansion of SBS’s data play through its 13 million IDs, FAST channel launches, and on-demand personalisation, a mix she said will give advertisers more meaningful reach and better outcomes.
Atomic 212°’s national trading lead Jay Malig said SBS is now clearly positioning itself as a culture-first broadcaster.
“SBS Upfronts 2026 highlighted the network's unique position in the Australian media landscape, emphasising its focus on culture and diversity," Malig told AdNews.
He said the FIFA Men’s World Cup will deliver massive reach, with timing on SBS’s side.
“The biggest cultural event of 2026 will undoubtedly be the FIFA Men's World Cup,” he said.
“A significant advantage will be the highly convenient live broadcast times, the most sociable since the 2002 tournament in Japan and Korea.”
Malig expects a significant spike in SBS On Demand use during the tournament, driven by replays, live matches and highlight packages.
“Although their audience numbers may not rival those of other FTA networks, SBS emphasised the quality of their audience… significantly higher ad recall on linear TV, up to 47%, due to a lighter ad load compared to other networks," he said.
Malig added that SBS’s Datalab is becoming a valuable asset for advertisers wanting to overlay their own datasets.
Sarah Keith, group managing director, Involved Media, told AdNews that SBS On Demand was a highlight of the presentation.
"SBS on Demand continues to be a highly sought after product for its quality content so improving the user experience with the restart pause and rewind functionality will be a strong addition," she said.
"The unified data announcement should make SBS easier to plan and buy reducing a level of complexity driving improved performance, and ultimately continue to increase confidence in the product overall."
Michael Kay, managing director at Havas Media, praised the upfront as “a very assured and authentic showing from SBS, continuing to demonstrate their point of difference within the screens landscape.”
He told AdNews that while the FIFA World Cup is a tentpole moment that will boost audience subscription numbers and bring a halo effect to the wider programming.
“The wider content slate across the year looks strong with top tier programming and original content,” he said.
“I’m really interested to see the extended research with Samba TV into ad loads and brand effects across BVOD/SVOD at an individual platform level.
“We continue to shift the conversation with our clients beyond pure reach to attentive reach and outcome-based measures, and studies like this help us move the conversation forward.”
Amy Dascanio, managing director at Enigma Media, described SBS’s upfront as a ‘cheeky and bold’ start to the 2026 upfronts, leaning into its latest brand campaign ‘We Go There.’
“The commercial proposition was reinforced in partnership with Samba TV, showcasing SBS’s ability to deliver 47% stronger recall thanks to lower ad loads,” she said.
“Rather than chasing commercial rivals from the linear broadcasters, SBS doubled down on its messaging from 2025 and its core strengths, diverse storytelling, world-class sport, journalism integrity, sustainability, and premium digital environments, delivering a clear, confident, and compelling upfront.
“The launch of the SBS Data Lab highlighted a focus on outcomes, not just impressions, enabling brands to reach more personalised audiences.
Louis Mayne, chief media partnerships officer at Hearts & Science, said the World Cup would be a high-attention environment that brands should not overlook.
“It’s the biggest sporting event in the world, has more teams than ever, and follows the Matildas’ momentum. I think it will smash records for SBS and is something clients should be a part of.”
Mayne said SBS’s lean ad load and sustainability push go hand-in-hand with clients’ evolving expectations.
“The Brief Green initiative is another example of SBS building on their purposeful media values, something we wholeheartedly support at Hearts & Science,” he said.
“We believe that reducing advertising emissions is not only the right thing to do but will improve campaign performance.”
Mayne also welcomed the Samba research into BVOD ad loads, suggesting it could shape planning practices moving forward.
Sanctuary Media head of trading Peter Stowe said SBS’s messaging was refreshingly direct.
“Their message was simple, direct and a bit cheeky,” he said.
“SBS declared that television is no longer a contest against Seven, Nine, Ten and the ABC. The real competition is coming from global streamers.”
He praised SBS’s opt-out trial for alcohol, wagering and QSR ads, now becoming a permanent feature in its streaming platform.
“That this will become a permanent feature within the streaming platform was great to hear, as it not only helps viewers but also benefits brands, who won't be serving ads to disinterested audiences.”
Stowe said other free-to-air networks may feel pressure to follow suit. He also welcomed news that SBS On Demand will add pause, rewind and restart functions ahead of the World Cup.
Sue Cant, head of investment at This is Flow, expressed strong admiration for SBS’s clarity and authenticity.
“I particularly always enjoy the SBS one as they are laser focused every time on keeping it simple, getting it right and as always, staying authentic and true to their values,” Cant said.
She also praised SBS’s “distinctive, yet often not realised”, large scale assets that can sometimes get forgotten in the breadth of the Screens landscape.
“Large scale assets that can sometimes get forgotten in the breadth of the Screens landscape and these assets excite me most as they can offer brand new audiences, additional scale and unrivalled content for our clients, outside of the clutter and haze of others,” Cant said.
“These assets excite me most as they can offer brand new audiences, additional scale and unrivalled content for our clients, outside of the clutter and haze of others.”
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