SBS has approached confirming the location of the new Western Sydney production hub and has finalized several suggestions received through the recent request for the Expression of Interest (EOI) process.
The broadcaster began exploring the facility’s potential sites earlier this year and planned to showcase a television studio that will host live audiences, radio/podcasting booths, collaboration spaces for talent incubation, and a modest workspace to support production output.
The EOI Process evaluated submissions for SBS’s functional and strategic requirements, including its ability to support cutting-edge television, digital and audio production, and its strong alignment with the core mission of SBS, which reflects and serves its diverse community in Australia.
The finalists are currently invited to participate in the Request for Proposal (RFP) phase, which will support the Australian government in submission of detailed business cases later this year, forming part of the project financing consideration process.
Darren Fernham, Chief Technology Officer of SBS, has expressed optimism about the process so far.
“We are very encouraged by the caliber of the responses we received and the shared vision to build a truly unique and impactful SBS presence in western Sydney,” he said.
“This next phase will bring us closer to creating a production hub that amplifies Indigenous and multilingual voices, supports new content partnerships and cultivates the next generation of diverse media talent.”
Simon Hayes, Director of SBS Western Sydney Project agreed, and the finalist proposal represents “an exciting possibility to realize our ambitions for a vibrant, fully accessible, and future enhanced media hub.”
“The RFP stage allows us to further explore how each potential facility can support the SBS’s professional and highly technical needs and community impact objectives,” he said.
SBS plans to select a priority location in the second half of 2025, subject to the results of the RFP phase and the results of various internal approval processes. For more information about the project, click here.
