SBS.
How do you get Australian full-time workers to turn on the FIFA World Cup in the middle of the day? Tell them that it’s their work right, according to SBS.
SBS has launched the World Cup Watchers’ Rights Association (WRA) to provide Australians with the chance to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup in a campaign via Droga5, Poem and Hearts & Science.
SBS acting director of marketing and audiences, Uma Oldham told AdNews that the campaign is a tongue-in-cheek way of owning a behaviour that is already happening, Australians watching sport during work hours.
“The World Cup is one of the biggest sporting events in the world, and SBS draws unprecedented audiences to the network,” Oldham told AdNews.
“The fact that it's being played in three countries across Canada, USA, and Mexico.
"Our goal is to drive audiences to the World Cup and then retain them off the back of that.
“When you think about a North American time zone and how that presents in Australia. We realised that more than 65% of the games were going to be during the traditional working day. That's how the World Cup Watchers Rights Association was born."
3 in 4 Australians are planning to watch the World Cup this June, according to the WRA.
Research found 33% have booked a meeting specifically to watch sport, 38% have watched sport while on a work call, 20% have muted a call so they could focus on a game and 1 in 10 Australians admit to having hidden under their desk to watch sport secretly.
Meanwhile, 71% of Australians agree that employers should simply let staff watch the World Cup while at work, and they have support from 53% of Aussie bosses, who say they will actively make arrangements to make this happen.
The campaign features comedian and actor, Nick Mohammed, Matt Okine, Mel Buttle and John Cruckshank, and former Matildas’ goalkeeper and Australia footballer, Lydia Williams.
Oldham said the Ted Lasso star was a way to straddle football credibility with comedy.
“Poem took the lead in organising talent, and when they spoke about Nick being the chair of the WRA, it was a hard yes,” Oldham said.
“It was then important to have a constellation of local Australian talent.
“We shot it over two countries, with Nick being based in the UK.
“We are a challenger brand, and so we really needed something that drives participation and talkability.”
This campaign follows SBS signage of Hyundai, Hisense, Macca's, Rexona, bet365, Commonwealth Bank and Youi Insurance to support its exclusive coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Canada, Mexico and the US from June 12 to July 20.
The broadcaster will air all 104 matches live and free on television and via SBS On Demand, with more than 550 hours of live coverage, highlights, replays and exclusive content across both platforms.
The campaign features a full ‘360’ approach to media strategy across paid and owned, including a hero asset, video inventory across social networks, OOH, podcasts and collaboration with SCA and Triple M and club esports.
"We've got a really robust earned media approach. The beauty of it is that the talent is there to do interviews with various media outlets to really drive that conversation and get workplaces, schools and government communities on board," Oldham said.
“We believe the World Cup Watchers Rights Association will invite more Australians into the beautiful game we have.
“You've got football fanatics who need no encouragement, but also sports lovers who might be more into AFL and NRL but might dabble into the World Cup.
“Then you've got your broader social art audience, who might not be that into sport, but they want to be part of the cultural conversation.”
Droga5 worked alongside SBS in its ‘The Ad That Can Only be Seen on SBS’ campaign, winning ‘Best Use of Content’ and ‘Ad Campaign of the Year’ at the 2025 AdNews Agency of the Year awards.
Droga5 ANZ chief creative officer, Barbara Humphries, said nothing should get in the way of football, not even work.
“The World Cup Watchers’ Rights Association gives Aussie workers a way to get out of those 9:30am meetings and into the beautiful game,” said Humphries.
“SBS goes there for football like no one else in this country. So we knew, if anyone could put things right for fans, it was them.”
This is Poem's first work with SBS, focusing on earned and talent.
“It’s about time we started earning attention for what really matters: watching football, whenever and wherever (particularly when you’re at work),” said Poem CEO and founder, Rob Lowe.
“It was a pleasure to work with SBS to bring the World Cup Watchers’ Rights Association to life for everyone who needs it, which to us is… basically everyone.”
OM Content head of content partnerships, Hayley Pyper, said that through content integrations, our media partners are rallying behind the SBS World Cup Watchers’ Rights Association and standing up for Australians’ right to experience the World Cup in a way that fits their lives, even if that’s on the clock.
“With SCA, Acast and Clubby Sports activating across their ecosystems, we’re proudly backing fans by bringing the SBS World Cup Watches’ Rights Association into the content, platforms and conversations that shape their day,” Pyper said.
Nick Mohammed said over the coming weeks, millions of Australians will be asked to do the unthinkable: work during the 2026 World Cup.
“I cannot legally tell you to watch football during work hours. My job is simply to look you in the eye and say: We see you,” Mohammed said.
“We see the last-minute ‘meetings’, the long bathroom breaks, the light from a phone under a desk. You are not alone. The Watchers’ Rights Association is here to stand up for your right to sit down and watch the beautiful game wherever you work.”
CAMPAIGN CREDITS
SBS
Head of Creative: Joel Noble
Acting Director of Marketing and Audiences: Uma Oldham
Acting Head of Audience Marketing: Carolina Chiaradio
Marketing Manager & Project Lead: Melissa Dedrick
Campaign Manager: Martin MacKinnon
Lead Producer: Kirsty Turner
Creative Manager: Margarett Cortez
Integrated Producer: Sophia Titmus
Producer: Carley Best
Creatives: Ben Skinner, Ben Jones
Senior Designer: Megan Schierhout
Designers: Jeffrey Ho, Jesse Dalton, Ricardo Moreira
Head of Publicity & Social Content: Jo’an Papadopoulos
Publicity & Social Content Manager: Milly Palmer
Head of Social Strategy: Sean O’Byrne
Concept
Creative Agency: Droga5 Sydney, part of Accenture Song
ANZ Marketing Practice Lead, CEO of Droga5 ANZ: Matt Michael
Co-Chief Creative Officers: Barbara Humphries and Damon Stapleton
Principal Director: Kezia Quinn
Creative Directors: Thomas Gledhill and Lennie Galloway
Creatives: Herman Ulberg and James Greig
Head of Strategy: Ben De Castella
Group Business Director: Samar Karim
Creative Development, Earned Strategy, Publicity and Production: Poem
CEO: Rob Lowe
Executive Director, Strategy & Social: Alex Watts
Creative Director: Tom Manning
Senior Account Director: Alex Height
Account Director: Robbie Purcell
Senior Producer: Hattie Morgan
Campaign Specialist: Sam McDougall
Publicist: Iris Yuan
Publicist: Caitlin Nicolatsopoulos
Senior Account Executive: Lauren Duncan
Creatives: Lucy Everett and Ruby Clarke
Strategist: Dhivia Pillai
Media Planning and Buying: Hearts & Science
National Managing Director: Liz Wigmore
General Manager: Blake Power
Head Of Content Partnerships, OM Content: Hayley Pyper
Planning Director: Oliver Woodrow
Content Partnerships Director: Chloe O’Shea
Planning Manager: Jake Walker
Media Implementation Account Manager: Regina Lee
Crew and Post
Director: Joel Noble
Lead Producer: Hattie Morgan
Producers: Kirsty Turner (AU), Carley Best (AU), Leila Maktari (UK)
Production Manager: Arthur Chan (AU)
Production Assistant: Nico Bruni (UK)
Talent Coordinator: Sophia Titmus (AU)
Stills photographer: Mathew Quake (UK), Cara O’Dowd (AU)
1st AD: Micki Colker-Perlman (UK), Stuart Beedie (AU)
DOP: Richard Bell (UK), Tonu Luu (AU)
1st AC: Samuel Hyde (UK), Sam de Teliga (AU)
2nd AC: Jensen Pipe (UK), Pat Jaeger (AU)
Grip: Max Goodkind (UK), Nick Towle (AU)
Grip Assist: Darcy Towle (AU)
Gaffer: Jeff Ceils (UK), Cameron Wintour (AU)
Best Boy: Alejandro Restrepo Celis (UK), Peter Hagen (AU)
DIT: Gotlieb Berg (UK)
VTR: Kane Waldron (AU)
Gaffer: Jeff Ceils (UK), Cameron Wintour (AU)
Sound: Mike McGinn (UK), Predrag Malesev (AU)
Wardrobe/Stylist: Jennifer Michalski Bray (UK), Isabelle Landicho (UK), Lydia-Jane Saunders (AU)
Production Designer: Joe Munroe (UK), Mike Price (AU)
HMU: Liz Taw (UK), Louise De-brookley (UK), Kirsty Bremner (AU), Justyna Chapman (AU), Ken Matsuda (AU), Milly Ofori (AU)
Runners: Ruby Moyes (UK), Jorge Cerda-Vargas (AU), Bradley Cram (AU)
Colourist: Wassim Bazzi
Motion Designer: Emy Dossett
Audio: Bruce Dale
Social Unit (AU only): Ben Skinner, Jordan Rajek & Daniel Thompson
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