The television arm of Australia's Special Broadcasting Service, SBS TV began test transmissions in April 1979. The concept for a multicultural television network had evolved from two ethnic radio stations (2EA in Sydney and 3EA in Melbourne), which had started broadcasting in 1975. Official television programming commenced in Melbourne (as ABV-2) and Sydney (as ABN-2) on 24 October 1980, using the dual frequencies VHF 0 and UHF 28. The programming during these early years was confined to evenings only. In 1983, the network expanded into Canberra, Cooma, and Goulburn and consolidated its name to Network 0-28. When the name was again changed in 1985 to SBS Television, the network began daytime programming and also expanded its transmission to include Brisbane, Adelaide, Newcastle, Wollongong, and the Gold Coast. The following year, SBS ceased broadcasting on the VHF frequency.
The proclamation in 1991 of the Special Broadcasting Service Act saw SBS become a corporation. Throughout the early 1990s, its coverage was expanded further, to include new areas such as the Latrobe Valley, Spencer Gulf, Darwin, north-east Tasmania, Cairns, and Townsville. In 1992, SBS's radio and television facilities were gradually moved to new headquarters in Artarmon, New South Wales, from its original studios at Milson's Point. By 1996, the coverage had further extended to include the New South Wales north coast and Albury.
On 1 June 2009, SBS launched its digital multichannel SBS Two, enabling them to broaden their story-telling. SBS Two shows more non-English-language content than ever before, all made accessible to all English-speaking Australians through the use of subtitles. In July 2009, SBS broadcast two major sporting fixtures (the Tour de France and the Ashes cricket series) simultaneously on SBS One and SBS Two. The first program broadcast on SBS Two was the Academy Award-winning animated short film Harvie Krumpet, which was made with the support of SBS.
