Viceland to launch on SBS

“Earlier this year, it was widely reported that I announced that we would launch Viceland in 12 countries in 12 months and that is not true”, Smith, pictured, said in a statement. We will in fact be launching in 44 countries (for those keeping score that’s less than four months in).

The company has inked joint ventures with media firms in not just India but also the Middle East. It has broadcasting arrangements in Africa, Southeast Asia, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Once a music magazine in the 1990s, the TV network and online media outlet is known for its immersive, sometimes controversial style of journalism and documentaries.

The Moby deal also has a production component, with the opening of local production studios across the region, the hiring of journalists and filmmakers, and the airing of tailored local news and lifestyle programming.

Viceland will launch in New Zealand via Sky New Zealand on its TV and mobile platforms, while multicultural pubcaster SBS will launch the channel in Australia.

Overseen by Oscar-winning film director Spike Jonze as Co-President, VICELAND launched to critical acclaim in the USA in February 2016 and features hundreds of hours of original programming, including Gaycation (with Ellen Page and Ian Daniel), Huang’s World (with Eddie Huang), Noisey (with Zach Goldbaum), F*ck, That’s Delicious (with Action Bronson), Weediquette (with Krishna Andavolu), Balls Deep (with Thomas Morton) and many more.

The Asian deal covers 18 territories, and will see programming developed and produced in-house by a Vice creative team. Marketing and ad sales will be handled by The Times Group.

The multi-platform youth-focused company will also expand its footprint in Australia by partnering with SBS Australia to launch Viceland free-to-air later this year.

In Africa, Vice will work with Econet Media, a subsidiary of telecom services provider Econet, to distribute Viceland in 17 countries, including Nigeria, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Meanwhile in neighboring New Zealand, the channel will be made available to all Sky customers as part of its basic TV subscription package.

The partnership will be brought under Times Group’s Times Global Partners (TGP) who a similar deals with Gawker Media to launch Indian editions of Gizmodo and Lifehacker.TGP now has strategic partnerships with Uber, AirBnB, Coursera, Huffington Post, Business Insider, Goal, Techradar, Investopedia and Advertising Age. Initially, the channel will be delivered as blocks of programming across Group V Media’s networks.

Founded as a punk ‘zine in Montreal in 1994, Vice grew into one of the largest digital media companies through a heavy focus on video, and it’s now in the midst of a major expansion into traditional television.