Aspire TV is an American
pay television
Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to Subscription business model, subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichan ...
channel targeting
African Americans
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa ...
owned by
UP Entertainment. The network was launched by
Magic Johnson on June 27, 2012.
History
As part of its arrangement to acquire a minority interest in
NBCUniversal
NBCUniversal Media, LLC (abbreviated as NBCU and Trade name, doing business as NBCUniversal or Comcast NBCUniversal since 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational mass media and Show business, entertainment conglomerate (comp ...
, Comcast Corporation committed to carry several minority-owned channels.
The arrangement followed pressure led by
Maxine Waters in congressional hearings.
In April 2011, Comcast solicited proposals for minority-owned networks. In February 2012, Comcast announced distribution arrangements for four networks, including Aspire.
The four announced networks and six forthcoming stations were chosen from among an excess of 100 proposals to begin airing by 2020.
In 2019, Magic Johnson had divested his majority ownership, with UP Entertainment gaining it.
Programming
Aspire TV holds the broadcast rights to a selection of CIAA
college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
games involving
historically black colleges and universities
Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...
.
Current
*''6 Minutes To Glory: The HBCU Band Experience''
*''
The Bernie Mac Show''
*''Chaos to Calm''
*''City Eats: Atlanta''
*''Downright Delicious with Yo-Yo''
*''G. Garvin Live''
*''HBCU 101''
*''Keasha's Perfect Dress''
*''Money Moves''
*''
My Wife and Kids''
*''
The Steve Harvey Show''
*''Twisted Dish''
*''Unboxed with Nikki Chu''
*''Urban Indie Film Block''
*''
Whose Line Is It Anyway?''
Former
*''Black College Quiz''
*''
The Bill Cosby Show''
*''Butter+Brown''
*''
The Flip Wilson Show''
*''The Graduates ATL''
*''
The Hughleys''
*''
In Living Color''
*''
In the House''
*''
I Spy''
*''
Julia''
*''Just Angela''
*''
Lincoln Heights''
*''
The Mod Squad
''The Mod Squad'' is an American crime drama series, originally broadcast for five seasons on ABC from September 24, 1968, to March 1, 1973. It starred Michael Cole as Peter "Pete" Cochran, Clarence Williams III as Lincoln "Linc" Hayes, Pegg ...
''
*''
Room 222
''Room 222'' is an American comedy-drama television series produced by 20th Century Fox Television that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC for 112 episodes, from September 17, 1969, until January 11, 1974. The show was broadcast on 1969 ...
''
*''Side by Side With Malika & Khadijah''
*''
Soul Food
Soul food is the ethnic cuisine of African Americans. Originating in the Southern United States, American South from the cuisines of Slavery in the United States, enslaved Africans transported from Africa through the Atlantic slave trade, sou ...
''
*''
Soul Train''
*''World Wide Nate: African Adventures''
See also
*
BET – American basic cable and satellite channel currently owned by
Paramount
Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to:
Entertainment and music companies
* Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS.
**Paramount Picture ...
, which launched in 1980 as the first television network devoted to programming targeting African-Americans.
**
BET Her – spinoff/sister network targeting African-American women.
*
Bounce TV – American digital multicast network owned by
E. W. Scripps Company.
*
TheGrio – American digital multicast/cable network owned by
Allen Media Group
Allen Media Group, alternately known by its former name of Entertainment Studios, Inc. is an American media and entertainment company based in Los Angeles. Owned and founded in 1993 by businessman Byron Allen, the company was initially involved ...
*
TV One – Cable and satellite network targeting African-Americans, owned by
Urban One.
**
Cleo TV – Spinoff/sister network targeting African-American women.
Notes
{{Reflist
Television channels and stations established in 2012
Television networks in the United States
English-language television stations in the United States
African-American television
African-American television networks
Magic Johnson