Australian broadcaster SBS to launch world-first gambling ad block
It’s the first broadcaster to allow viewers to block gambling ads on its streaming platform.
Australia.- The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) has become the first global broadcaster to allow viewers to permanently block gambling advertisements on a streaming platform. The feature will be launched on SBS On Demand by 2026.
The full rollout follows a trial in 2024 and is intended to allow viewer choice while preserving funding from the gaming industry. The feature allows viewers to customise their ad experience, specifically removing gambling ads. By using ad-insertion technology, SBS tags and replaces gambling ads for users who opt out.
During the 2024 trial, SBS reported a 45 per cent drop in advertising-related complaints, a result former SBS Chair George Savvides called “remarkable.” He described the move as a public health measure and and industry innovation and encouraged other broadcasters to adopt similar systems. “There’s no reason commercial networks can’t follow SBS’s lead,” he said.
Advocacy groups like the Alliance for Gambling Reform have praised the move. The technology could potentially extend to other ad categories, such as alcohol or payday loans.
