An outstanding slate of multilingual, multicultural and First Nations content by its Audio, News, Television, and NITV teams has earned SBS the 2024 Australian Podcast Awards top accolade for the third consecutive year in an increasingly competitive landscape.
SBS’s distinctive podcast offering across a range of bold new topics has seen the hybrid-funded public broadcaster once again recognised as Publisher of the Year by the annual Australian Podcast Awards, with its Everything We Need and Grave Matters series winning this year’s climate and factual categories respectively. SBS was also a finalist in the business and education categories.
“SBS is proud to be recognised as Australia’s premier producer of podcasts, giving a platform to new and exciting voices often otherwise underrepresented. Our storytelling in over 60 languages informs and entertains audiences about the nation’s diverse communities, building widespread connection and understanding. It’s truly an honour to scoop up this trifecta win,” said David Hua, Director of SBS Audio.
Reflecting an increasingly digital first approach to reaching audiences on their platforms of choice, SBS has achieved over 50 million podcast plays across more than 300 titles in 60+ languages in 2023-24 with content dedicated to elevating diverse perspectives and fostering social inclusion.
“SBS’s strong podcast offering over the past year has embraced many bold and sometimes taboo topics, ranging from death and dying in Grave Matters to untangling the social, cultural and nutritional confusion around the food and drink we consume in Should You Really Eat That?” said Hua.
“We also proudly launched the first of a new series aimed at reviving First Nations languages in Ngiyang by NITV Radio, strengthened household budgets in Cost of Living Secrets by SBS News, and entertained with companion podcast Alone Australia: The Podcast by SBS Audio/SBS Television.”
Beyond serving multilingual Australians with content in their language of choice, SBS’s podcast offering also supports the settlement journey of new migrants with free adult English language learning and practical information to aid full social and civic participation through SBS Learn English and Australia Explained.
“SBS’s podcast slate not only helps grow awareness of the contribution of a diversity of cultures to Australian society, but critically speaks to the changing nature of contemporary Australia with people increasingly wanting to hear their stories and experiences reflected in the content they consume,” said Davide Schiappapietra, SBS Head of Language Content.
Selected highlights of in-language podcasts in 2023-24 include She by SBS Mandarin which explores the lives of Chinese-Australian women; SBS Urdu’s A Costly Silence about domestic violence, SBS Portuguese’s O luto e a luta do imigrante about migratory grief, and Finding Freedom by SBS Persian which shares the stories of refugees and asylum seekers.
As part of its ongoing commitment to discovering and supporting diverse new voices and original ideas, SBS made a fourth public call-out for podcast pitches in 2024, while shortlisted projects from the 2023 callout were further developed and piloted with the SBS Audio team, including successful commissions Grand Gestures, Comedy Karma, and Why is Australia in Eurovision?
All SBS podcasts are available via the SBS Audio website and app which can be downloaded via the App Store for iOS and Google Play for Android. Selected titles are also available wherever you consume your podcasts and radio streams, including Apple Podcasts, LiSTNR, Spotify and TuneIn.