SBS’s World Cup themed Upfront event had media buyers cheering from the rafters. The multicultural broadcaster claims the 2026 FIFA World Cup will not only deliver record audiences, but will be the TV event of the year.
Buyers tended to agree, telling B&T advertisers are prepared to do their talking on the pitch with plenty of interest in sponsorship packages for a tournament that has expanded from 32 to 48 teams and 64 to 104 games.
It wasn’t just the world cup announcement that scored goals. SBS’s narrative reminded the market that its 5 minute ad load delivered advertisers up to 47 per cent better recall landed, as did its market-leading sustainability initiative to help advertisers reduce their carbon footprint; enhancements to its DataLab; work committing ad budgets to back indigenous productions; and a strong diverse content slate that has “something for everyone”.
Media buyers believe that ad opt outs for the gambling, alcohol and QSR categories is “on brand” for SBS, and should appeal to users and advertisers alike, but are unsure if other TV networks will pay too much attention.
The evening kicked off in cheeky fashion. The actor (streaker) who starred in SBS’s ‘We Got There’ brand campaign, by Droga5, entered the auditorium naked and had to be escorted from the field of play by security (if it happened at next year’s USA World Cup, SBS streaker would probably then be deported, if he had been allowed into the country in the first place).
It set the tone for a lively, confident and, at times, tongue-in-cheek presentation that left buyers in raptures and very clear about who SBS is and their unique position in the market.
“What a bold start, so uniquely SBS,” Omnicom Media Group chief investment office Marelle Salib told B&T on the sidelines of the event. “There’s so much good stuff coming next year, they’ve got the largest event in the country. The content is always second to none and you know with SBS that there’s quality, grit, diversity and something for everyone.
“I think they’re leading the way across all broadcasters in bringing creator content to the big screen at home.”
Involved Media managing director Sarah summed up the event neatly, describing it as: “Football, Food and Fend for Yourself (sorry… Alone)”.
“They were the themes of a super confident SBS upfronts for 2026,” she added. “A raft of announcements, but ultimately clarity about who they are and what they do and how they are an integral part of media consideration was the memorable takeaway.”
World Cup interest running hot
The FIFA World Cup is undoubtedly the jewel in the crown for SBS in 2026. The tournament has more teams, games and advertising inventory than ever before and will be played in the most viewer friendly day parts since the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan. Most fixtures will be played between the morning and mid afternoon Australian Eastern Standard Time.
SBS has already sold out its tier one sponsorship packages, bringing on board Hyundai, Macca’s, Rexona, Hisense, bet365, Commonwealth Bank and Youi.
At between an estimated $1 million to $2 million per package, this will help SBS recoup the circa $30 million outlay on World Cup rights.
It turns out that football fever is catching on to brands of all shapes and sizes with plenty of interest in tier two and tier three packages, which B&T understands are large spot packages without the level of integration as tier one.
WPP Media has clients in tier one and tier two packages. Claire Butterworth, the GM of investment partnerships, said that client interest in the World Cup is running hot.
“You’ve now got more games, which gives you a more diversified audience ecosystem, depending on which countries are now performing. It’s also going on for longer which will have different time zone capabilities. But it also provides a lot more inventory for SBS to sell and for brands to get active in,” she sad
Salib said what makes the World Cup unique is that it attracts diverse communities to cheer on their nations, and that brands will be looking to get involved in the World Cup beyond spots, but also through fan zones and other adjacent events – adopting a “be in it or around it” approach.
“Maybe it’s the dire state of the world currently, but FIFA World Cup feels like the cultural and social event for the global community rather than just a commercial opportunity,” Keith added.
Nobody does TV like SBS
SBS presented a unique and consistent slate of content including new docuseries The People vs Robodebt andShut Your Big Fat Mouth John Safran!, as well as new Australian dramas The Chaplain and Reckless, and new seasons of Who Do You Think You Are, Shaun Micallef’s Origin Odyssey, The Hospital: In the Deep End, and The Jury.
The show that caught the eye buyers is season four of Alone Australia, which will parachute contestants to survive in the Arctic Circle.
Two media buyers (Marelle Salib and Sarah Keith) said they would take warm furry jackets as their one item, while UM group investment director Jun Sayabath said he would opt for a flint; all three will be glued to their sets for what is the industry’s only true reality TV show.
Claire Butterworth, the GM of investment partnerships at WPP Media, said she wouldn’t get out of the taxi (or snow mobile), but had only kind words for SBS’s programming slate.
“What really stood out was the diversification of the content from SBS, I feel like they’ve found a really strong balance between the documentaries, local content, NITV and sport as well, which is allowing them to have that really premium offering,” she said..
“If you looked at the grid they showed (see above), it’s a really solid slate, but it also appeals to a really diverse range of audiences, which I think is really important.
“When (SBS acting MD) Jane Palfreyman was saying she feels like SBS is a true reflection on Australia, I completely agree with her.”
Buyers opt in to ‘opt out’
SBS announced that its opt-out feature, which currently applies to gambling, QSR and alcohol ads, would become a permanent fixture for SBS On Demand.
A beta trial had seen around 1,300 viewers—a small fraction of the SBS’s audience—opt out for ads in these three categories but B&T understands that the overwhelming majority, well north of three quarters, chose to switch off gambling ads. Complaints about ads have also decreased by 45 per cent.
At a media briefing prior to the event, Palfreyman said the trial had “enjoyed broad support” for advertisers in these categories, including Endeavour, McDonald’s and Tabcorp.
SBS argues that opt outs remove audiences that are not interested in a category, which helps boost the efficiency of ads in reaching their target audiences by stripping away people who aren’t interested.
“The message is this is great for audiences, but also this is great for advertisers,” Palfreyman said, but do media buyers agree?
“This is a great thing for brands,” UM group investment director Jun Sayabath said. “As marketing budgets go backwards, and the media fragments, brands need to be more efficient with their media spend and make sure that they’re hitting the right people in terms of eyeballs. It’s good for brands and it’s good for people—I think it’s a win all around.”
Sayabath believes that if the opt out initiative proves successful, other networks could adopt a similar move with their BVODs.
Clinton Kay, the general manager of Sweeney Advertising went one step further: “I think they should”.
“We have quite a lot of not for profit clients and whenever we talk about brand safety, this is a real option, other than just saying we’re buying against specific programs,” he added.
Omnicom Media Group has clients within all three categories, and Salib said that there had been no pushback about SBS’s opt outs. She also believes opt outs improve the efficiency of buying by reducing wastage.
“What I like about what SBS is doing is that they really focus on how to improve the consumer experience whilst also creating an environment that is advertiser safe and delivers engagement and reach. It ticks all of those boxes,” she said.
Get a load of this
Another major announcement is that SBS’s low ad loads are delivering superior results. SBS only serves 5 minutes of advertising per hour, compared with other TV broadcasters that typically have ad loads of around 16 minutes.
Keiran Beasley, the national sales manager – Digital and TV at SBS Media revealed the findings of a study that focused on the impact of low ad loads during live linear TV against those of Australia’s commercial TV broadcasters.
The research suggests that SBS’s low clutter environment delivers between 32 and 47 per cent better recall than free-to-air competitors, and an SBS on demand campaign for South Australia tourism delivered a 42 per cent uplift in visitation, which resulted in 12,000 verified visits.
SBS is restricted to low ad loads through its Code of Practice, but hasn’t done much research on how this is beneficial to advertisers.
Buyers believe that research which proves the effectiveness of low ad loads to business outcomes ensures that SBS is able to position its inventory in the premium bracket, more in line with an SVOD buy versus a BVOD, which is typically a 20-30 per cent markup.
“They’ve always had the ad load framework in place for a long time, I just don’t think that they have spoken enough about it loudly,” Butterworth said.
“Today SBS have put together a proposition to explain why the premium is what it is, and the justification behind it.”
OMG’s Salib agrees that the research, which will be expanded to cover SVODs in the coming year, helps qualify the premium SBS places on its inventory.
The South Australian Tourism Commission study also helps move the narrative away from vanity media metrics, such as reach, to business outcomes.
UM’s Sayabath believes a focus on proving business outcomes will benefit clients and allow SBS to play in that premium space.
Although buyers are still looking for the best deals, he said that if SBS can consistently prove its delivery outcomes, there is no reason why the broadcaster shouldn’t charge premium rates.
SBS’s ability to prove outcomes was another talking point for buyers. A new partnership with DataCo Technologies allows brands to run personalised, highly targeted campaigns that are privacy compliant and tracked to transactions data – known in the industry as closed loop reporting.
“That’s a huge, significant opportunity that’s going to allow us to really start to do a lot of multi-layered, advanced segmentation,” Salib said. “It allows us to understand so much more, with greater insights, and then build audience segments that then we can push through omnichannel audiences, and be able to buy and target on them,” she said.
“It’s really helping us to move away from a demographic ‘spray and pray’ approach to being really targeted and it’s where all brands need to go.”
SBS’s razor sharp focus on key messages, diverse content and World Cup star power, mixed with confidence and humour, certainly landed with buyers in what was a strong start to the upfronts season.
