It was a record year for SBS VICELAND in 2018-19, bucking industry trends to deliver the channel’s highest audience share. It has also been a year of change with The Feed’s transition to a weekly program and increased investment in digital platforms.

A record year

SBS VICELAND delivered record highs across a number of audience metrics this year, including its highest ever metro share (4.5 per cent) and the highest ever single broadcast with 533,000 viewers for the series return of Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

The channel saw its highest audience for a comedy launch with New Zealand series Wellington Paranormal and most successful entertainment launch for British panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. The Orville also became the second most watched program on SBS On Demand for the year, securing more than 10 million chapter views.

The Feed saw its highest rated episode with Marc Fennell’s special investigation, Sex in Japan: Dying for Company.

Pop culture with purpose

SBS VICELAND continued to experiment with genre, format and scheduling to engage an increasingly fragmented audience – especially among younger viewers. From the exploration of race in The Problem with Apu, to the unique historical perspectives of Hunting Hitler and Abandoned Engineering, the channel presents challenging and thought-provoking stories.

SBS VICELAND continued to push the boundaries of the medium with another successful run of extended slow television broadcasts and a 12-hour marathon of the same film (French sci-fi classic The Fifth Element), which resulted in one of the best performing Sundays.

Cross-platform successes

As audience behaviours continue to evolve, so too have the channel’s release strategies – especially with scripted series. Established shows such as Brooklyn Nine-Nine were fast-tracked to SBS On Demand while new programs including The Orville, You’re The Worst and French series Nude were released as full seasons online along with weekly SBS VICELAND broadcasts, to great success.