SBS Spice is a new English language digital offering for younger South Asian Australians covering topics ranging from pop culture to politics, aimed at exploring identity, belonging and social change.
Dilpreet Kaur Taggar (pictured right) the Executive Producer of SBS Spice and also an Indian-born journalist and founder of South Asian Today said:
“SBS Spice is for the young and curious with a South Asian heritage who are active on social media, and interested in culturally shaping the narratives of where we come from and where we’re headed in a forward-looking Australia,”
Hosted by Taggar and Suhayla Sharif (pictured left), a Bollywood obsessed Australian-Fijian journalist SBS Spice will tackle issues such as identity, gender equality and mental health, as well the latest in pop culture and entertainment. The new offering will feature podcasts, video content and conversations on Instagram and YouTube.
The podcasts include:
- Two Chillies in a Pod – long-form podcasts featuring first-person interviews with South Asian disruptors and game changers from Australia and abroad, including former Editor of Vogue India, Megha Kapoor; traveller Priya Sharma; content creator Jeremy Franco; social worker Amar Singh; and actors Shahana Goswami and Ayesha Madon.
- Spice Express – short-form podcasts focused on community check-ins to understand what issues are making South Asians click or feel ick.
Pamela Cook, Acting Director of SBS Audio said:
“SBS is proud to continue delivering on the outcomes of our Language Services Review, which is conducted every five years in line with the national Census to ensure SBS’s offering reflects a diverse and contemporary Australia and helps build a sense of inclusion and belonging for everyone.”
SBS South Asian’s language programs include Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Nepali, Malayalam, Punjabi, Sinhala, Tamil and Urdu, featuring all the latest news, current affairs, entertainment and community stories broadcast live from 11:00AM to 6:00PM on weekdays, and 5:00PM to 6:00PM on weekends. There are also music playlists including the best of Bollywood (Hindi), Bhangra (Punjabi) and Nepali, with music in other languages to be added to the schedule progressively. A Telugu language offering launched last year is also available via podcast, website and social media.
SBS Spice is available via the SBS Audio app and most other places where you consume your podcasts. Each SBS South Asian language program also has its own Facebook page and a bilingual website, with audio offerings also available at most places where you consume your podcasts.