SBS has received a federal funding boost of $158.1 million, which will go towards strengthen its current affairs line-up, which will include radio services for African immigrants and an increased investment in more local Australian content.
The public broadcaster, whose main source of revenue is government funding, will put $63 million to launch a new national free-to-air indigenous television service later this year. Managing director Michael Ebeid said the $5 million of the increased funding from the first year will be used to wipe the broadcaster’s deficit and “make sure we’re just square”.
Mr Ebeid said the increased funding would be used in a number of areas including the review of its radio services aimed to better serve the changing demography of new migrants, particularly Africans, and local content.
He added SBS had not previously been funded for its website “but we have to play a significant role there”, presumably to capitalise on the multi-lingual online service’s ability to reach broader audiences.
Budget papers confirmed SBS is forecasting a small surplus for 2012-13 after an estimated operating loss of $5m for 2011-12 due to a slowing of advertising revenue.
It also estimated SBS’s “own-source revenue” will increase by $22m to $94m in 2013-14 due to advertising and sponsorship for SBS’s broadcast of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
