SBS Food is an Australian

free-to-air Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscripti ...

television channel owned and operated by the

Special Broadcasting Service The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from the Australian Government. SBS operates six TV channels ( SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS World ...

(SBS). The channel airs programs about food and cooking, from cultures around the world.

History

SBS first revealed it would launch a channel dedicated to food on 30 September 2015, following the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government ...

's decision to not permit the public broadcaster to increase the amount of primetime advertising it is allowed to broadcast. It was Australia's first and at the time only free-to-air channel to be dedicated exclusively to food-related programming. It is broadcast 24 hours a day on channel 33, and all programs aired on the channel are also available to stream on

SBS on Demand SBS is a national public television network in Australia. Launched on 24 October 1980, it is the responsibility of SBS's television division, and is available nationally. In 2018, SBS had a 7.7% audience share. As of 2022, SBS is the lowest ...

. The channel began broadcasting as Food Network on 17 November 2015 at 1 pm AEDST, replacing a simulcast of SBS. The channel initially operated under a license from

Discovery Inc. Discovery, Inc. was an American multinational mass media factual television conglomerate based in New York City. Established in 1985, the company operated a group of factual and lifestyle television brands, such as the namesake Discovery Cha ...

, the operator of the American channel of the same name. The relationship included a three year programming deal with Discovery which saw numerous American Food Network programs on the channel. The first programme shown on the channel was ''

30 Minute Meals ''30 Minute Meals'' is a Food Network show hosted by Rachael Ray. Her first of four shows on Food Network, its original run aired from November 17, 2001, until May 5, 2012. The show specializes in convenience cooking for those with little time ...

''. The channel was first included in the official

OzTAM OzTAM is an Australian audience measurement research firm that collects and markets television ratings data. It is jointly owned by the Seven Network, the Nine Network and Network Ten, and is the official source of television ratings data for ...

ratings on 1 December 2015, where it recorded a 1.3% primetime share. On 17 November 2018, the channel was rebranded to SBS Food following the ending of the Discovery Inc. deal, which saw Discovery's American shows (which had increasingly shifted from an instructional to a reality/competition-focused direction) pulled from the channel and replaced with more premium titles, including increased domestic Australian content. Discovery's food shows later shifted to a new free-to-air channel,

7food network 7food network was a short-lived Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Seven Network which launched on 1 December 2018. The channel marked the start of Seven's new deal with Discovery, Inc., immediately after the end of SBS's pr ...

, which began broadcasting on 1 December 2018. The move proved disastrous to Seven and Discovery, and after disappointing ratings, 7food network was shut down on 28 December 2019 and its programming dispersed among Seven's other channels, making SBS Food once again the only Australian free-to-air channel dedicated exclusively to food.

Programming

Initially, the majority of SBS Food's programming had previously been aired either on SBS, ABC and on Foxtel. *''

The Cook and the Chef ''The Cook and the Chef'' is an Australian television series featuring cook Maggie Beer and chef Simon Bryant. ''The Cook and the Chef'' was screened on ABC1 and was filmed in the Barossa Valley, South Australia, with the first episode goin ...

'' *''Cook Like an Italian with Silvia Colloca'' *''

Nigella Bites Nigella Lucy Lawson (born 6 January 1960) is an English food writer and television cook. She attended Godolphin and Latymer School, London. After graduating from the University of Oxford, where she was a member of Lady Margaret Hall, Lawson st ...

'' *''

Nigella Express Nigella Lucy Lawson (born 6 January 1960) is an English food writer and television cook. She attended Godolphin and Latymer School, London. After graduating from the University of Oxford, where she was a member of Lady Margaret Hall, Lawson st ...

'' *''

Oliver's Twist ''Olivers Twist'' is a 2002 television series featuring chef Jamie Oliver. The name of the program is a play on the title of Charles Dickens' novel ''Oliver Twist''. Following the popularity of his first TV series, '' The Naked Chef'', Oliver b ...

'' *''Poh & Co'' *''Poh's Kitchen On The Road'' *''

The Chefs' Line ''The Chefs' Line'' is an Australian reality competitive cooking show. The series features four home cooks in each episode who compete against professional chefs in a studio kitchen. The challenge is to create their personal versions of a chosen ...

'' *''

Surfing the Menu ''Surfing the Menu'' is an Australian television cooking and lifestyle series on the ABC which first screened in 2003. The series follows features two chefs who follow their passions as they travel around Australia and New Zealand. The first ...

'' *''Destination Flavour'' *''The Cook Up With Adam Liaw'' *'' Come Dine with Me UK'' *''Fresh Friday Feasts'' * ''

Mystery Diners ''Mystery Diners'' was an American reality television series on the Food Network. The series, hosted by Charles Stiles, debuted on May 25, 2012. Stiles is the owner of California-based Business Evaluation Services and Mystery Shopper Services. ...

'' *'' Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown'' *''

Top Chef ''Top Chef'' is an American reality competition television series which premiered on Bravo on March 8, 2006. The show features chefs competing against each other in culinary challenges. The contestants are judged by a panel of professional ch ...

Logo and identity history

File:Food Network (Australia) logo.svg, 17 November 2015 – 17 November 2018 File:SBS_Food_logo.svg, 17 November 2018 – present

References

External links

* * * {{Free-to-air television channels in Australia Special Broadcasting Service English-language television stations in Australia Television channels and stations established in 2015 2015 establishments in Australia Digital terrestrial television in Australia Food and drink television

History

Programming

Logo and identity history

See also

References

External links