SBS WorldWatch, which carries international news in 38 languages from 49 broadcasters worldwide, will close its linear television channel 35 on Friday 18 September 2026 and continue entirely on SBS On Demand.
From 18 September, the channel ceases broadcasting. All SBS WorldWatch programming will continue on SBS On Demand.
As the channel closes, SBS WorldWatch will expand its existing digital service over the coming weeks to include two or more daily bulletins in most languages. SBS says this is more content than could be accommodated on a single linear channel, and it allows audiences to watch bulletins as soon as they become available rather than waiting for a scheduled broadcast.
SBS On Demand also features two 24-hour FAST channels for English-language news: Euronews and France 24.
Mandi Wicks, SBS Director of News and Current Affairs, said SBS WorldWatch connected Australians with news and perspectives from around the world, in their preferred language.
"Moving to SBS On Demand gives us the opportunity to build on that service, with more international news bulletins and greater flexibility for audiences to decide when and how they watch," she said.
"We recognise this will be a change for some audiences who are accustomed to watching SBS WorldWatch on linear television. We're committed to supporting them through the transition, while continuing to evolve our services for the future."
Ahead of the change, SBS is providing multilingual information and guidance through SBS Audio language programs and on SBS WorldWatch channel 35. The SBS Help Centre carries further information, and the SBS WorldWatch — News In-Language hub sits on the SBS On Demand homepage, where audiences can search for content in their preferred language. Additional bulletins will be added over the coming weeks.
SBS On Demand carries more than 15,000 hours of local and international programming across more than 60 languages, spanning news and current affairs, documentaries, drama, world movies, entertainment, food, children's content and sport. This includes dedicated language collections and selected English-language programs with subtitles in Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese. The service is free for all Australians and accessible via the app on Smart TVs, mobiles and tablets, or on the SBS website; the app is free to download from the Apple App Store for iOS and Google Play for Android.
SBS Audio's linear radio channels provide locally produced news and community stories in more than 60 languages, also available as podcasts and via SBS On Demand.
Multilingual guidance on the change is running on SBS Audio language programs and on channel 35 until that broadcast closes on Friday 18 September 2026.
Source: CNN Lite
