After almost 40 years of airing music videos, MTV will stop showing rolling videos when it closes five channels at the end of the year.
As reported by the BBC, MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV and MTV Live will all stop broadcasting after December 31, but their flagship channel, MTV HD, will remain on air. It shows reality series, including Naked Dating UK and Geordie Shore.
MTV launched in 1981 in the US, quickly becoming a staple of pop culture, having been tied to historic moments in music, including the world premiere of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ video and the 16-hour broadcast of the Live Aid concerts in 1985.
There has been a marked shift in viewing habits since the channels’ heyday, with music videos more commonly consumed on YouTube and social media rather than television now.
A spokesman for MTV’s parent company, Paramount, declined to comment when approached by the BBC. Many fans, however, have taken to social media upon learning the news, with many pointing to a diminished brand identity for its ultimate demise.
“MTV was culturally and spiritually dead when it stopped airing music videos,” one wrote on X/Twitter. “Corporate-led decline of what was once the coolest brand in existence. Sad.”
“Poor show,” another chimed in. “The 80s channel was a good channel. Sadly, the main channel seemed to concentrate on rubbish reality TV programmes.” As one user put it: “End of an era.”
Following MTV’s success in America in the ’80s, a European offshoot was launched in 1987, with a dedicated UK channel following in 1997 – an era ushered in with the video for David Baddiel and Frank Skinner’s football anthem ‘Three Lions’.
The channel eventually later branched out into original programming with series like Ex On The Beach and Teen Mom UK, and, in 2011, its main channel abandoned music videos altogether. All music programming was directed toward sister stations, with the exception of the annual MTV European Music Awards, which is currently on ice.
Paramount put a pause on the event earlier this year as it pursued a merger with entertainment company Skydance Media. While a deal was aproved back in July, no decision about the fate of futures EMAs has been reached.
Paramount is also expected to close MTV music channels in countries including Australia, Poland, France and Brazil, according to media reports in those countries. News of the soon to be axed music video channels follows MTV temporarily bringing back round-the-clock music videos ahead of this year’s VMAs.