Australia’s Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) has launched SBS Spice, a new English-language digital offering for younger South Asian Australians that cover topics ranging from pop culture to politics, aimed at exploring identity, belonging and social change.

Dilpreet Kaur Taggar,  Executive Producer of SBS Spice and also an Indian-born journalist and founder of South Asian Today, said: “SBS Spice is for the young and curious with a South Asian heritage who are active on social media, and interested in culturally shaping the narratives of where we come from and where we’re headed in a forward-looking Australia.” 

Hosted by Taggar and Suhayla Sharif, SBS Spice will tackle issues such as identity, gender equality and mental health, as well the latest in pop culture and entertainment. The new offering will feature podcasts, video content and conversations on Instagram and YouTube.

Pamela Cook, Acting Director of SBS Audio, said: “SBS is proud to continue delivering on the outcomes of our Language Services Review, which is conducted every five years in line with the national Census to ensure SBS’s offering reflects a diverse and contemporary Australia and helps build a sense of inclusion and belonging for everyone.”

SBS South Asian’s language programs include Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Nepali, Malayalam, Punjabi, Sinhala, Tamil and Urdu, featuring all the latest news, current affairs, entertainment and community stories broadcast live. There are also music playlists including the best of Bollywood (Hindi), Bhangra (Punjabi) and Nepali, with music in other languages to be added to the schedule progressively. A Telugu language offering launched last year is also available via podcast, website and social media.

SBS Spice is available via the SBS Audio app and most other places where people consume their podcasts. Each SBS South Asian language program also has its own Facebook page and a bilingual website, with audio offerings also available at most places where podcasts are consumed.