SBS TV

SBS TV is South Korea's second commercial television station after MBC TV, and was established on 9 December 1991.

In June 1990, following a ten-year hiatus due to the effects of the shutdown of the Tongyang Broadcasting Company due to the effects of a massive press merger, the Korean government started granting television licenses to the private sector again. At the time, NHK's satellite channel NHK BS1 was easily available in Korea by owners of satellite dishes, and this raised concerns over the trauma of Korea under Japanese rule, which ended in 1945. Such a measure would create a counterweight to a potential Japanese satellite invasion.{{cite news|title=S. Korea to reintroduce private broadcasting |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19900615-1.2.12.25|access-date=30 April 2024|newspaper=The Straits Times|date=15 June 1990}} Later that year, while SBS was setting up its radio station, there were concerns over its connections to Taeyoung Construction, which the Hankook Ilbo called "the Scandal of the Sixth Republic".{{cite news|title=Seoul's private TV move comes under fire |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/biztimes19901102-1.2.16.2|access-date=30 April 2024|newspaper=Business Times|date=2 November 1990}}

On 19 September 1991, it was defined that SBS would air its main news bulletin at 8pm. It was interpreted as an attempt to compete against the "frontal confrontation" between KBS News 9 and MBC Newsdesk, which occupied the 9pm timeslot.{{cite news |title=12월개국 SBS TV 종합뉴스 밤8시 편성 |url=https://www.mk.co.kr/news/all/1034913 |work=Maeil Business Daily |date=September 19, 1991 |language=ko}} Ahead of launch, there was a spike in the demand for all-channel VHF receivers, as none of the pre-existing television channels in Seoul broadcast on Band I (SBS was channel 6, KBS2 was channel 7, KBS1, channel 9, MBC, channel 11 and EBS, channel 13). Ahead of its launch, such antennas saw a ten-fold increase in sales.{{cite news |title=SBS-TV 개국 앞두고 저채널 안테나 "불티" |url=https://www.mk.co.kr/news/society/1048839 |work=Maeil Business Daily |date=December 3, 1991 |language=ko}}

File:SBS 개국 행사(1991.12.9.).jpg

SBS commenced its official broadcasts in Seoul at 10:00am on 9 December, which would be designated as "The Day of Birth of SBS", a ten-hour special program;{{Cite news|url=http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=103&oid=001&aid=0003525707|title=SBS TV 9일 오전 10시 정식 개국|date=4 December 1991|publisher=Naver News|access-date=30 September 2012|language=ko}}{{cite news |title=SBS-TV 9일 개국 다양한 특집프로 마련 |url=https://www.mk.co.kr/news/economy/1020286 |work=Maeil Business Daily |date=December 7, 1991 |language=ko}} its launch was also reported by MBC Newsdesk.{{Cite news|url=https://imnews.imbc.com/replay/1991/nwdesk/article/1855228_30445.html|title=서울방송(SBS TV) 오늘 오전 개국[백지연]|date=9 December 1991|publisher=Naver News|access-date=9 June 2020|language=ko}} On the same day, SBS Eight O'Clock News was launched as the network's newscast. With the channel's launch, Korean media had finally entered the mixed public-private system. The coverage area at launch included all of Seoul, Gyeonggi and Gangwon and North Chungcheong, with approximately 47% of families receiving the channel.{{cite news |title=SBS-TV 오늘 개국 |url=https://mk.co.kr/news/society/1050089 |work=Maeil Business Daily |date=December 9, 1991 |language=ko}}

On 23 March 1992, SBS reorganized its schedule with SBS News Show being converted to a weekend edition due to low ratings. It also added an hour of children's programming between 5 and 6pm, as SBS had been criticized for not airing programming for these targets.{{cite news |title=SBS-TV 23일부터 프로개편 |url=https://www.mk.co.kr/news/economy/1065088 |work=Maeil Business Daily |date=March 9, 1992 |language=ko}}

Initially, SBS were only broadcasting terrestrially in Seoul and its surrounding areas. On 9 October 1992, the government began accepting applications for private broadcasting stations in other regions of the country. SBS had planned for a television and radio broadcast affiliate network to air SBS' programs on other new regional channels before its 5th anniversary. In 1994, the private channels KNN in Busan, TJB in Daejeon, TBC in Daegu, and kbc in Gwangju were created after government approval.{{Cite news|url=http://sbspr.sbs.co.kr/intro/pdf/tong39.pdf|title=새 시대, 새로운 방송 SBS TV 개국|date=January 2001|publisher=SBS|access-date=29 September 2012|language=ko|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030507210445/http://sbspr.sbs.co.kr/intro/pdf/tong39.pdf|archive-date=7 May 2003|url-status=live}} On 14 May 1995, SBS launched a national television network with these channels as its local affiliates, airing SBS programs as well as creating local programming.{{Cite news|url=http://sbspr.sbs.co.kr/intro/pdf/tong62.pdf|script-title=ko:창사 5주년, 세계로 미래로|date=January 2001|publisher=SBS|access-date=29 September 2012|language=ko|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030724213039/http://sbspr.sbs.co.kr/intro/pdf/tong62.pdf|archive-date=24 July 2003|url-status=live}} The week of the first anniversary of the opening of the new stations was marked by SBS as "Private TV Week" in May 1996.{{cite news |title=SBS,「민영TV주간」대대적 특집방송 |url=https://www.mk.co.kr/news/economy/1610808 |work=Maeil Business Daily |date=May 11, 1996 |language=ko}}

The network in 1997 was experiencing a drop in dramas. In September, it announced that it would start hiring freelance producers to revive its production, which was seen with internal opposition.[https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/001/0004178371?sid=103 <방송> SBS, `드라마 살리기'위해 본격 나선다] After the IMF intervention on the Korean economy, most of its freelancers founded their own companies.[https://www.hankookilbo.com/News/Read/200010300037562824 스타 PD들 "여의도를 떠나자"]

On 26 October 2001, SBS started high definition broadcasts, becoming the first terrestrial broadcaster in South Korea to do so. On that day, a special ceremony was held at the Yeouido facilities, with the presidents of the major electronics companies taking part.{{cite news |title=SBS, 26일 HDTV 개국 |url=https://www.mk.co.kr/news/all/2630171 |work=Maeil Business Daily |date=October 26, 2001 |language=ko}} On 20 August 2011 at 5:30pm, SBS started broadcasting entirely in HD, over a year before its analog signal was switched off. It was the fastest of the three main networks to make the conversion.[http://sports.khan.co.kr/news/sk_index.html?art_id=201108181709543&sec_id=540201 SBS, 20일부터 HD방송으로 전면 전환]

In recent years, the rise of original programming on cable networks and later streaming services has caused the terrestrial networks to decrease their audience share, among them, SBS. While in 2000, SBS was the fourth most-watched channel, regardless or not of cable, starting in 2017, the network began surpassing MBC, the historical leader, in ratings, ending in third place, behind the KBS networks, during primetime hours. It had previously led the rankings in 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2010, in the latter's case, influenced by its exclusive rights to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. As of 2018, SBS had the best ratings in the 20-49 demographic.[https://www.mediatoday.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=144175&page=6&total=3840 그 많던 KBS·MBC 시청자는 어디로 갔을까]

{{Main list|List of programs broadcast by Seoul Broadcasting System}}

• MBC Standard FM
• MBC TV
• Channel A

{{Reflist}}

• [http://w3.sbs.co.kr/schedule/main.do?div=pc_scheduler SBS TV schedule] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924161247/http://w3.sbs.co.kr/schedule/main.do?div=pc_scheduler |date=24 September 2019 }}

{{SBS TV current original programming}}

{{Seoul Broadcasting System}}

{{South Korea television networks}}

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Category:Television networks in South Korea

Category:Korean-language television stations

Category:Television channels in South Korea

Category:Mass media companies of South Korea

Category:Television channels and stations established in 1991

Category:Mass media in Seoul

Category:1991 establishments in South Korea

Category:Seoul Broadcasting System television networks