Max TV

Max TV was a New Zealand music channel available free to air on UHF channel 49 in Auckland from 28 October 1993 to 3 December 1997.

History
Reforms in the New Zealand television landscape started in 1989, enabling the private sector to control television channels. Radio DJ Kevin Black, and Stereo FM director Allan Rutledge set a tender for a UHF music channel. The channel, named Much Music, collapsed in 1991, with the receiver selling the frequency to use. Auckland businessman Geoff Thorpe gained the rights to the frequency at a bargain price, after discussions with Kevin Black.

When Max TV began transmission it was known as Max: The Music Channel. The channel was jointly owned and operated by Aztel Holdings (consisting of radio personality Kevin Black who owned the frequency licence, and his partner Jeff Thorpe) and On-Line Productions, a video production house. Broadcasts started at 4:00pm on 28 October 1993 from the facilities of production company Vidcom.

The channel initially broadcast from 4:00pm until midnight Monday to Thursday; 4:00pm until 1:00am on Friday; 7:00am until 1:00am on Saturday; and 7:00am until midnight on Sunday. By April 1996 its transmission hours were extended to 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Since the channel only had UHF coverage, Max TV actively promoted the installation of UHF aerials, at a time when penetration of such aerials was limited primarily to subscribers of Sky's UHF service.

On 20 May 1997, the channel broadcast the music video to Iggy Pop's song "Pussy Walk". Local feminist group Women Against Pornography considered the music video 'offensive and insulting to women'.

On 2 December 1997, Television New Zealand announced that the channel would close down on the following day.