FAQ's - World Watch

What is World Watch and when does it air?

Across the network, SBS broadcasts international bulletins, called ‘World Watch’ in 35 languages other than English, from 38 international broadcasters.

World Watch airs at different times on SBS and SBS VICELAND, and all international news bulletins broadcast on SBS will be available seven days a week on SBS On Demand (with the exception of Maltese News which is only produced twice a week), and will also be made available shortly after their broadcast in their country of origin.

Why don't you subtitle the World Watch news bulletins you broadcast each morning?

Subtitling is a very exacting and time-consuming procedure. On average, every hour of a subtitled program involves about 53 hours of work. With such time constraints, it would be impossible to subtitle the 35 different languages broadcast in the World Watch schedule. The delay would mean that the news bulletins would be outdated by the time they were ready for presentation. At present, World Watch bulletins are transmitted as soon as possible after they are received via satellite to ensure that their news content remains current.

Who determines the language broadcast in World Watch?

A consultative process, involving relevant communities, precedes a management recommendation to the SBS Board, which then makes the final decision. While SBS makes every effort to include news programs from the major broadcasters of the world and for the major community groups in Australia, some programs are difficult, expensive or impossible to access due to technical communications problems or existing contractual obligations.

Who decides the times at which the World Watch bulletins are broadcast?

From time to time, SBS undertakes reviews of its schedule and considers how it can best deliver programs across its network and platforms to serve a range of audience and meet the needs of different communities.

Generally, the schedule is dictated by availability of airtime. Another consideration is to avoid clashes with SBS Radio's multi-channel networks. This means that some of the major language news bulletins are outside peak hours. All international news bulletins are available via SBS On Demand, making them available whenever people choose.

Why isn't the BBC included in the World Watch schedule?

SBS broadcasts international news bulletins in English from many of the world's most respected broadcasters, NHK from Tokyo, France 24 from Paris, Deutsche Welle from Berlin, Al Jazeera from Doha, CCTV from Beijing, RT from Moscow and PBS NewsHour from PBS America. The BBC does not offer re-broadcast rights for its domestic UK news bulletins.

What is the source of the World Watch news bulletins?

The majority of the World Watch suppliers are public or national broadcasters. SBS also has a number of private partners, such as TVB in Hong Kong, ABS-CBN of the Philippines, NTV in Russia, Polsat in Poland, and NDTV and Polimer TV in India.

Sometimes World Watch bulletins appear to be cut short. Do you edit these programs?

In general, SBS leaves bulletins as they are received in order to preserve their integrity. However edits are made where the material is in obvious breach of Australian broadcasting regulations and our Codes of Practice. Furthermore, overseas commercials and sponsorship messages are removed where necessary and where possible. When programs overrun their allocated duration, SBS has no alternative but to cut the end in order to start the following bulletin close to time.