The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) first aired The World Game in 2001 and has been a supporter of football for over 13 seasons under the anchorage of the much loved, and recently retired, Les Murray.
With its comprehensive coverage of world football, World Cup news, highlights, live results and scores, it informs and entertains in a way that reflects Australia, and takes pride in supporting sport where most commercial channels presently fear to tread.
SBS will broadcast every match of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup live and will stream other matches concurrently live online including all Matilda’s matches.
“The Matildas are a very strong team with a long history of success. In their previous two World Cup campaigns they qualified to the Quarter-finals stage – so we’re really looking forward to sharing their 2015 journey with the whole of Australia,” said Ken Shipp, SBS’s Director of Sport.
With host Lucy Zelic, SBS has been a leader in the development of content that epitomizes Australia’s diversity including the promotion of female sports journalists.
The SBS aims to take risks with areas of interest and ensures that access and diversity is available on free-to-air programming with the minimum of advertisement distraction during coverage.
It has also dared to hold women’s football in high regard, where others such as the ABC, who have just relinquished their coverage of the W-league, have not.
At a time when most media outlets are cowering away from the women’s game, the government supported SBS has taken it upon themselves to proudly support the Australian Matildas in their quest for World Cup glory in Canada, at a time when coverage of women’s sport is at an all-time low.
Danielle Warby, Board Director of Australian Womensport and Recreation Association, reported that “women’s football has earned its place on TV”.
The Matildas, ranked 10th in the world, are closer to a World Cup throne than the Socceroos and SBS have seen through the misconception that the women’s game is an inferior product, and should be commended for their support and genuine interest.
It is a telling fact that the SBS can see the inherent popularity of the product and its interest by 65% of sports fans and the accompanying social messages being sent, while other commercial channels cannot.
The Matilda’s FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign will begin on Tuesday, June 9th when they take on 2011 runner up USA at 9.00am AEST live on SBS ONE. Their tournament continues when they go up against Nigeria at 6:30am AEST on Saturday 13th June live on SBS ONE, and Sweden, who finished third in 2011, at 9:30am AEST Wednesday 17th June live on SBS ONE.
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