SBS Oz shakes hands with Stan

Australian pubcaster SBS has signed a content deal with subscription VoD service Stan that will see its World Movies channel and some European dramas and local productions carried on the platform once it launches in January.

World Movies will be available on StreamCo’s Stan, co-owned by Nine Entertainment (NEC) and Fairfax Media, which will be available for a monthly fee of around A$10 (US$8.70).

Euro dramas including The Killing and The Bridge will screen on Stan along with SBS-commissioned local shows such as Housos, Go Back To Where You Came From, Who Do You Think You Are?, Better Man and Wilfred.

World Movies is available on dominant pay platform Foxtel as part of its movies tier. SBS boasts Australia’s largest library of free movies online on SBS On Demand but there is no overlap with World Movies.

SBS CEO Michael Ebeid said: “Diversity is at the heart of SBS and we are thrilled that many of SBS’s original productions will form part of the launch line-up for Stan. We are big believers in the power of locally made Australian television and see Stan as contributing to the ongoing strength of our television landscape.”

The SBS partnership augments StreamCo’s licensing deals with MGM and Sony Pictures Television.

Deals with other US studios and with Australia’s Roadshow Entertainment and ABC Commercial are expected to be announced soon.