SBS Radio to add 7 new language services to 68-language program

The 2016 Census revealed that more than 1.3 million people migrated to Australia during the past five years and nearly five million people speak a language other than English at home.

The figures reveal the importance of SBS Radio’s services providing Australian-focused news and information in languages other than English.

The review process involved extensive community consultation to finalise the selection criteria which, in conjunction with the 2016 Census data, has determined the revised language services.
 
As part of the 68 language programs and services provided by SBS Radio, seven new communities will be catered for from Monday 20 November, including six ‘high needs’ languages and one ‘large’ language supporting new communities who need news and information in their language as they navigate life in a new country. The new languages are: Telugu, Karen, Tibetan, Hakha Chin, Rohingya, Mongolian and Kirundi (Rundi). All content in the new languages will be available on digital platforms with audio podcasts accessible via the SBS website and SBS Radio app to meet the needs of those audiences.
 
Mandi Wicks, SBS Director of Audio and Language Content, said: “SBS Radio is the world’s most linguistically diverse broadcaster and whilst many communities are passionate about live radio, they are also engaging with our in-language digital services via their smartphones and tablets. With increased content available online and via the SBS Radio app, our revised services will continue to deliver on our Charter obligations and ensure that we remain relevant for today’s Australia.”
 
More content will be available online and via the SBS Radio app for the growing language communities who speak Punjabi, Tamil, French, Urdu, Indonesian, Sinhalese, Nepali, Persian, Japanese, Thai, Bengali, Malayalam, Gujarati, Dari, Russian, Portuguese, Assyrian and Samoan.
 
There will also be a new weekend format, with more music and entertainment content for many of the largest communities including Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Korean, Italian, Greek, Filipino, Hindi and Spanish.
 
For more information on the new SBS Radio Schedule, visit sbs.com.au/radio

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