New Australian drama The Airport Chaplain has delivered a strong opening week for SBS, attracting 1.67 million viewers across broadcast and streaming.
The series has also become the network’s biggest drama launch of 2026, with the broadcaster saying one in four viewers have already watched all eight episodes, adding to an already strong reception for the new drama.
Starring Hugo Weaving (Love Me), Shabana Azeez (The Pitt) and Claudia Karvan (Bump), the eight-part series premiered on SBS last week, with all episodes also available to stream on SBS On Demand from launch.
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Shabana Azeez and Hugo Weaving star in SBS drama The Airport Chaplain, which has become the network’s biggest drama launch of 2026 (image – SBS)
The series has recorded a 154% uplift in its Total TV average audience from Overnight to Consolidated 7, as viewers continue to discover and watch episodes on SBS On Demand.
The strong result comes as SBS looks to retain audiences following its recent coverage of the FIFA World Cup, with nearly half of The Airport Chaplain audience also watching the tournament.
Speaking about its success, SBS Director of Television Kathryn Fink said the result showed there was “a real appetite for stories that connect with audiences, wherever and whenever they choose to watch”.
“The Airport Chaplain is a great example of our audience strategy in action and the kind of original Australian drama that keeps audiences coming back.”
Set inside the high-stakes world of an international airport, The Airport Chaplain follows the unexpected connections formed between travellers, workers and strangers passing through one of Australia’s busiest airports.
The series has also marked a first for an SBS original drama, launching simultaneously on Netflix outside of Australia and reaching new audiences in more than 190 countries and regions.
The Airport Chaplain is a Wooden Horse production for SBS, co-created and executive produced by Elise McCredie and Jude Troy, with major production investment from Screen Australia and support from VicScreen.
The Airport Chaplain continues Wednesday nights at 8.30pm on SBS, with all eight episodes available to stream free on SBS On Demand.
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