MTV Winds Down Music Channels in U.K., Ireland and Beyond

It’s the extremity of an epoch for popular civilization obsessives: MTV, the world’s archetypal 24-hour euphony broadcaster, is to cease cognition of 5 of its channels successful the U.K. and Ireland astatine the extremity of 2025.

MTV’s genitor company, amusement elephantine Paramount, volition propulsion the plug connected MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV and MTV Live connected Dec. 31. The channels volition besides adjacent successful Germany, France, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Australia and Brazil astatine a aboriginal date. 

The determination besides impacts MTV productions successful the U.K., wherever archetypal shows specified arsenic Gonzo – presented by Radio 1’s Jack Saunders – and Fresh Out UK person besides precocious been canceled. 

The latest numbers from British enactment Barb amusement that, successful July, MTV Music had 1.3 cardinal viewers, portion MTV 90s pulled successful an assemblage of 949,000 for the month.

Flagship transmission MTV HD is acceptable to stay connected air, with its scheduling centered astir world bid including Teen Mom, Ex On The Beach and Geordie Shore. The transmission is known for launching the careers of fashionable British presenters including Emma Willis and Cat Deeley.

A caller study from BBC News states that the determination comes arsenic Paramount, which has yet to contented a ceremonial comment, seeks to instrumentality cost-cutting measures of $500 cardinal crossed its planetary portfolio.

Beyond fiscal realities, however, the determination besides reflects however tv viewing habits person shifted dramatically implicit the past decade, with euphony fans migrating towards societal media, streaming platforms, and integer video outlets specified arsenic YouTube, Instagram Reels oregon TikTok.

The euphony limb of MTV marque volition proceed to person a beingness crossed societal media, arsenic good arsenic signature events similar the VMAs. The EMAs, meanwhile, person been enactment connected clasp for 2025 arsenic Paramount continues to reappraisal its events slate portion pursuing a merger with amusement institution Skydance Media. The awards amusement returned to the U.K. past November, taking spot astatine Manchester’s Co-op Live.

MTV launched its archetypal rolling euphony transmission extracurricular of the U.S., MTV Global, successful London successful August 1987. The archetypal broadcast showed Elton John turning connected the broadcast awesome successful Amsterdam, followed by the euphony video for Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing.” The U.K. got its ain dedicated MTV Music transmission successful 1997.

Its American counterpart began cognition successful 1981, helping to popularize euphony videos arsenic a format. Famously, the archetypal video broadcast was The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star,” portion the TV transmission played big to different iconic popular civilization moments successful the pursuing years, including the satellite premiere of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video successful 1983.