SBS Food Network

SBS Food (formerly Food Network) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by the Special Broadcasting Service (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'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.

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., 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''. The channel was first included in the official OzTAM ratings on 1 December 2015, where it recorded a 1.3% primetime share.

On 17 November 2018, the channel changed its name 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, 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.

SBS Food was converted into a MPEG-4 SD channel in December 2023.

Programming

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

Current programming

*''Adam and Poh's Great Australian Bites''
*'' Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown''
*''The Chefs' Line''
*'' Come Dine with Me UK''
*''The Cook and the Chef''
*''Cook Like an Italian with Silvia Colloca''
*''The Cook Up with Adam Liaw''
*''Destination Flavour''
*'' ''Food Lovers' Guide To Australia''
*''Fresh Friday Feasts''
*'' Khanh Ong's Wild Food''
*''Mystery Diners''
*''Nigella Bites''
*''Nigella Express''
*''Oliver's Twist''
*''Plat du Tour''
*'' Poh & Co''
*'' Poh's Kitchen On The Road''
*''River Cottage''
*'' The Streets with Dan Hong''
*''Surfing the Menu''
*''Top Chef''
*'' Marion Grasby's Endless Summer''
*''Memory Bites with Matt Moran''
*'' Island Echoes with Nornie Bero''

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

See also

*7food network
*Lifestyle Food

References

External links

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{{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
Television channels and networks about food and drink