It's easier than ever to listen to your favourite audio content as SBS announces another audio destination for its South Asian language programs.
From Thursday 5 October 2023, the Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Nepali, Malayalam, Punjabi, Sinhala, Tamil and Urdu programs will be broadcast live on SBS PopDesi between 11am-6pm.
Through this channel, SBS aims to reach the more than 1.5 million Australians who speak a South Asian language at home.
With a newly updated and refreshed schedule, SBS PopDesi will provide more options for listeners to hear their stories, songs and sounds on the platform they prefer and at the time they choose.
Audiences can continue to hear, repeat or simulcast programs at familiar timeslots on SBS Radio 2 giving more choice and flexibility across SBS linear and digital radio services.
This refresh is part of the SBS50 Audio Strategy focused on accelerating digital-first production across broadcast radio, live streaming, digital publishing and podcasting to better meet audience preferences.
“We are so excited we have a new destination channel for Australia’s diverse communities with South Asian heritage,” said David Hua, SBS Director of Audio and Language Content.
In one place you will be able to get SBS language programs, news, current affairs, and also our wonderful entertainment and music offerings. We can’t wait to see the audience's response to this new expanded offering.David Hua, SBS Director of Audio and Language Content
SBS regularly updates its language offerings to better service the communities with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Statistics show that South Asians are the fastest-growing migrant population in Australia.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census lists the Punjabi-speaking population as 239,033, followed by Hindi speakers at 197,132, Nepali speakers at 133,068 and Urdu speakers at 111, 873.
According to the Census data, the proportion of people speaking Tamil is 95,404. Sinhala 85,869, Gujarati 81,334, Malayalam 78,738, Bangla 70,116 and Telugu 59,406.
The rebranding of SBS PopDesi into a destination channel for South Asian communities and the moving of some language programs to new time slots are designed to increase engagement and accessibility.
Source: SBS
As SBS digitally innovates its offerings it will continue to fortify the role of radio as the backbone of audio consumption in the future.
It's really an exciting and pivotal time for what's to come from SBS as it continues to produce and present its distinctive content.
Here is what will change from 5 October:
Source: SBS Credit: SBS Nepali
The ever-popular PopDesi music mix will be broadcast outside these hours on mornings, evenings and weekends.
Now listeners will have the opportunity to hear SBS Audio language programs via AM/FM radio, DAB+ radio, Digital TV, and streaming on our website and the SBS Audio App.
All the above-listed language programs will be repeated or simulcast at familiar timeslots on SBS Radio 2.
SBS Radio 2 is broadcast on both the AM and FM frequencies in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Newcastle. SBS Radio also broadcasts nationally on either the AM or FM frequencies in other major centres around Australia. View the full list of frequencies .
While these are changes in schedules and platforms, the much-loved SBS content and quality will remain a constant as SBS continues to be a reliable source for communities to depend on.
With image inputs from Deeju Sivadas and Abhas Parajuli and Vrishali Jain.
