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National survey shows SBS viewers do not want gambling ads and reject government’s SBS commercialisation policy

Save Our SBS released the findings of a nationwide survey today that showed 91% of SBS viewers want an end to SBS broadcasting betting and gambling advertisements.

Save Our SBS President, Steve Aujard said, "SBS viewers believe that such advertisements are not good for social cohesion. This finding is significant because the SBS Corporate Plan states that the purpose of SBS is to contribute to a cohesive society" (SBS Corporate Plan 2016-17, pg 2).

Mr Aujard said, "The survey of 1,176 people was conducted in the first week of April and included people from every State and Territory.

"The Survey 2017 about SBS asked 47 questions in 21 categories."

Mr Aujard added, "We will watch closely to see how the recent debate on gambling advertisements pans out, but we already know the government wants to double the hourly advertising limit on SBS. The government proposes to average advertising across the day but that will have the effect in primetime of SBS more closely resembling a commercial broadcaster.

"SBS will become Australia’s fourth commercial network by stealth.

"The Survey 2017 about SBS found that 95% of SBS viewers do not want increased advertising on SBS and they say that if there is an increase in ads, then the law ought to restrict advertisements to before or after programs only – except in sport – like SBS used to be.

"In 2015, 62,000 people signed the Margaret Pomeranz & Quentin Dempster – Save Our SBS petition against increased advertising. That Bill failed in the Senate. We believe the government will push that failed destructive policy again after the May Budget.

"But the government cannot ignore the very good evidence of three surveys (2008, 2013, 2017) of 4,953 viewers in total of which three-quarters believe that SBS is less faithful to the Charter since it introduced in-program advertising. That finding – replicated in three separate cohorts from three different time periods – would only be exacerbated if the government’s policy to further commercialise SBS becomes law."

The full report of the Survey 2017 about SBS is here

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