The establishment of SBS Viceland followed several alterations to SBS broadcasting and channels. The unconventional name 'Viceland' dates to a deal struck with US–Canadian media company
Vice Media in 2016, and does not reflect the channel's content. From 2006–2009 SBS 2 was a Standard Definition channel on LCN31 which broadcast the same content as the SBS main channel. Extra information would be broadcast on this channel, for example sports highlights. The SBS 2 channel was available in all areas where SBS is currently broadcasting digital transmissions. In a statement made by
SBS in early 2009 plans for the channel SBS World were announced, to replace
SBS World News Channel. On 26 April 2009,
Freeview's website and advertisements showed that the channel would be called
SBS TWO. On 12 May 2009, SBS revealed programming details for the SBS TWO launch. This included a 5-minute feature at 6 pm called
SBS TWO Launch: What is SBS TWO?, followed by the
Academy Award winning short film
Harvie Krumpet. On 1 June 2009, the SBS World News Channel stopped broadcasting and went into a loop of advertising for SBS TWO before the official launch later that day. SBS had originally planned for the channel to focus on Asia-Pacific speciality shows, international children's programming and English learning programmes. In June 2016,
Shane Smith, CEO of US-Canadian media company
Vice, announced at the
Cannes Lions Festival that the company had reached deals with international broadcasters to launch localised versions of
Viceland—a television brand featuring lifestyle-oriented reality and documentary-style programming aimed towards young adults. Among the partners announced was SBS. On 4 October 2016, SBS and Vice officially announced that SBS 2 would change its name to
SBS Viceland on 15 November 2016. Michael Slonim, marketing director of Vice Australia, stated that SBS shared Vice's "storytelling sensibilities and curiosity about the world", and felt that the launch would "help catapult Vice further into the consciousness of young Australians". Subsequently the channel has remained with SBS, but with some original programmes produced for the American Viceland channel. Despite using the
Viceland brand name, it has no corporate association with the
international affiliates. On 17 June 2019, SBS Viceland became an HD only service on Channel 31. Channel 32 became
SBS World Movies on 1 July 2019, also only in HD. An SD version of SBS Viceland (alongside SBS and SBS World Movies) continues to broadcast via Foxtel on the AEST schedule. ==Programming==