Go TV
Corporate brand
UnclaimedAn Austrian 24-hour music and animation television channel that operated from 2002 until 2022.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Go TV, commonly styled as gotv, was an Austrian 24-hour television channel focused on music, youth culture and animation. Based in Vienna, it was designed primarily for Austrian viewers but achieved broader European distribution through cable and satellite platforms. The channel launched on 1 October 2002 and became known as Austria’s first dedicated youth and music television service. Its roots lay in TIV, short for True Image Vision, a local cable-only music channel launched in Vienna in 1996 on the UPC Telekabel network. TIV’s performance helped demonstrate demand for a more ambitious Austrian music television proposition. Thomas Maderbacher, a member of the Austrian band The Wiener, became chief executive of Go TV and a majority stakeholder in ET Multimedia, the company involved in launching the channel. At launch, Go TV was available to approximately one million viewers and reached about half of Austria’s digital cable operators. Go TV’s programming strategy combined established international performers with emerging and underground artists from Austria and elsewhere. Its music policy was deliberately broad, covering pop, rock, hip hop, dance, heavy metal, alternative music and other contemporary genres. German was the principal language of the service, while its musical selection included acts from German-speaking Europe, the wider European market and North America. Alongside music videos, the channel carried chart programs, artist and entertainment information, event listings, competitions, film promotions and other youth-oriented content. The channel widened its potential audience on 1 May 2004, when it began broadcasting unencrypted through the Astra satellite system at 19.2 degrees east. This made the service accessible beyond Austria and supported carriage in parts of Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands, in addition to its Austrian cable distribution. Its principal commercial and cultural focus remained the German-speaking market, especially Austria. Go TV maintained a recognizable visual identity throughout most of its life. Its on-air presentation was established in the early 2000s and used animated treatments of the channel logo, with idents changing according to the logo’s apparent mood or emotion. Zoe Irvine designed the idents, while Axel Stockburger designed the animated logo character used in the channel’s presentation. The service ultimately faced increasing distribution and financial pressure. From February 2022, several cable operators in Austria and Germany removed Go TV from their lineups. The channel’s owners announced on 18 May 2022 that it would cease broadcasting on 1 June 2022, citing the financial difficulty of sustaining the service. Its final music video was Daft Punk’s “One More Time.” Go TV therefore ended as a specialist Austrian music channel after almost two decades of operation.
History
Go TV developed out of Vienna’s early cable music television market. Its predecessor, TIV, or True Image Vision, began operating in 1996 as a local music channel distributed through UPC Telekabel. The service provided an initial platform for testing the appeal of music-focused programming in Austria and helped establish the commercial and creative basis for a larger national channel. Go TV was launched on 1 October 2002 as a 24-hour music and animation channel. Thomas Maderbacher, associated with the Austrian band The Wiener, served as the channel’s chief executive and became a majority stakeholder in ET Multimedia, which helped bring the service to market. At launch, Go TV was positioned as Austria’s first youth and music channel. It was initially available to approximately one million people and reached around half of Austria’s digital cable operators. The channel’s editorial proposition was broader than a narrowly defined chart station. It played music by established performers as well as emerging and underground artists, with particular attention to Austrian and European acts. Its repertoire ranged from pop and rock to hip hop, dance, heavy metal and alternative music. German was the dominant language of presentation, although the channel’s music and promotional material reflected a wider European and North American culture. Go TV expanded beyond its original Austrian cable base on 1 May 2004, when it began unencrypted transmission via Astra at 19.2 degrees east. Satellite availability made the channel receivable across much of Europe and supported distribution through television providers in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and, in some cases, the Netherlands. The channel remained especially associated with Austria and the German-speaking market, but the satellite signal gave it a regional rather than purely local presence. Programming included music videos, charts, artist information, event guides, competitions and film promotions. Shows associated with the service included At home, Homemade, Play it again, Clubnight, Hardplay, Neu auf go tv, FM4 charts and Go tv charts. Earlier or former programs included Austrian, German, European, United Kingdom and United States chart formats, as well as Vote, Nokia music store top 10, Box, Too early, Early enough and Made in Europe. The service also developed a consistent visual language. Its on-air identity, introduced around the beginning of the channel’s operation and subsequently adjusted, used animated versions of the Go TV logo. Zoe Irvine designed the channel idents, while Axel Stockburger created the animated logo presenter. The use of changing logo emotions gave the station a distinctive identity suited to its youth-oriented positioning. By 2022, the channel’s distribution and financial position had weakened. Several cable operators in Austria and Germany dropped Go TV from February of that year. On 18 May, the owners announced that the service would close on 1 June because the financial burden of continuing the channel could no longer be supported. Go TV ended its transmission with Daft Punk’s “One More Time,” closing after nearly twenty years on air.
- 2022
Cable distribution contracts
[1]Several cable operators in Austria and Germany remove Go TV from their lineups from February as the channel faces mounting financial pressure.
- 2022
Go TV closes
[1]The owners confirm the closure on 18 May, and the channel ceases broadcasting on 1 June. Its final music video is Daft Punk’s “One More Time.”
- 2004
Unencrypted Astra distribution begins
[1]On 1 May, Go TV starts unencrypted satellite broadcasting via Astra at 19.2 degrees east, expanding its potential audience across Europe.
- 2002
Go TV launches
[1]Go TV begins broadcasting on 1 October as a 24-hour youth and music channel serving Austria.
- 1996
TIV launches in Vienna
[1]True Image Vision, or TIV, begins as a local cable-only music channel on UPC Telekabel in Vienna and provides the precursor to Go TV.
Products and positioning
A youth-focused Austrian music television channel combining local and international music videos, broad genre coverage, entertainment information and interactive programming. Although centered on Austria and the German-speaking market, its unencrypted Astra satellite signal gave it a wider European footprint.
Television broadcasting · 2002
Go TV linear channel
The core Go TV service was a 24-hour linear television channel centered on music videos, youth entertainment and animation. It combined mainstream and alternative music with Austrian, European and North American content, and supplemented video rotation with charts, competitions, event information, film promotions and music-related magazine formats.
Satellite television · 2004
Go TV satellite service
From May 2004, Go TV was distributed unencrypted through Astra at 19.2 degrees east. This transmission extended the channel’s reach beyond Austrian cable homes and made it available to satellite viewers in several European markets, particularly within the German-speaking region.
Brand decisions
2022
Decision to cease broadcastingOtherBackground
The channel experienced financial strain and lost carriage with several Austrian and German cable operators from February 2022.
Action taken
The owners announced on 18 May that Go TV would close on 1 June 2022.
Aftermath
The service ended after nearly two decades on air, with Daft Punk’s “One More Time” as its final music video.
2004
Expansion from Austrian cable to European satelliteStrategyBackground
Go TV began as an Austrian youth and music service but sought a broader audience beyond its cable footprint.
Action taken
The channel commenced unencrypted broadcasting through Astra at 19.2 degrees east on 1 May 2004.
Aftermath
The move made Go TV widely receivable across Europe and supported carriage in parts of Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands, while Austria remained its primary market.
Recent events
Reported
MultiChoice announces lower DStv and GOtv package prices in Kenya[3]
MultiChoice announced new DStv and GOtv package pricing in Kenya, with the new prices scheduled to take effect on November 5, 2026. The article headline says DStv prices are cut by up to 35%.
Reported
GOtv Supa package launch in Malawi[4]
MultiChoice launched the GOtv Supa subscription package in Malawi, offering more than 50 channels for K18,000 per month.
Reported
MultiChoice Malawi launches Christmas subscription-upgrade promotion[5]
MultiChoice Malawi launched a Christmas promotion for customers renewing DStv and GOtv subscriptions from December 20 through January 1, automatically upgrading eligible customers’ packages to the next level for a month.
Reported
TRACE Gospel channel launches[6]
The TRACE Gospel channel launched in December 2019 and was available across the African continent on DStv, with GOtv Max channel 77 availability in Kenya.
Sources6 sources
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