Aspire TV (Australian TV channel)
| Company type | Joint venture |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television broadcasting |
| Founded | May 21, 2013 |
| Fate | Ceased operations |
| Headquarters | Australia |
| Products | Advertorial datacasting channel |
| Parent | Southern Cross Austereo and Brand Developers (joint venture) |
Aspire TV was an Australian advertorial datacasting channel that began broadcasting on 21 May 2013. It was a joint venture between Southern Cross Austereo and Brand Developers, created as part of SCA's initiative to offer combined and discounted advertising packages across television and radio. The channel's content mainly consisted of US-originated paid programming along with a selection of paid religious broadcasts. While the Labor government initially intended datacasting services to provide educational telecourses and non-commercial material, broadcasters predominantly utilized the platform for teleshopping purposes. This approach failed to garner substantial viewer engagement, resulting in the channel's swift decline.
Broadcasting of Aspire TV ceased in Tasmania and Darwin on 29 August 2015 to allow for the introduction of Racing.com. Subsequently, on 1 July 2016, transmissions ended in Spencer Gulf, South Australia, and Broken Hill, New South Wales. On the same date, SCA transitioned its Ten-affiliated stations to the Nine Network, prompting a reorganization of channels that relocated Aspire TV to channel 56. This adjustment led to TVSN moving over to competitor WIN Television.
In Northern New South Wales, Aspire TV was discontinued on 31 August 2017 following WIN Television's acquisition of NRN. The channel ultimately ceased operations across Southern NSW, Regional Victoria, and Regional Queensland on 31 July 2021, making room for the launch of Sky News Regional.
The visual identity of Aspire TV, including its logo and on-screen design elements, was crafted by Lucid Edge in collaboration with Splash Agency.