US EditionMTV is shutting down its music channels after 44 years
MTV will close five UK music channels after 44 years due to declining TV viewership and ad revenue, focusing on digital streaming; MTV HD will continue broadcasting.
- From January 1, 2026, MTV is shutting five themed music channels in the United Kingdom, but the flagship MTV HD will remain on air.
- Falling TV audiences pushed fewer viewers to traditional music TV, reducing ad revenue and prompting Paramount Global–Skydance to shift focus toward digital and streaming platforms.
- The channel evolved over decades, and MTV began by airing music videos on a 24/7 cycle from August 1, 1981, later launching MTV Music, MTV 80s, and MTV 90s.
- Closures elsewhere show Austria, Poland and France have lost MTV channels, while it remains unclear if UK stoppage will end global 24-hour music channels; US cuts are extremely likely.
- The move marks the end of a long-running music-video era as MTV's flagship now largely airs reality TV programming, prompting viewers and online communities to lament the fading soundscape.
38 Articles
38 Articles
Music channel MTV has stopped broadcasting 24-hour programming in the United Kingdom after 38 years.
On 31 December 2025, television that has defined the cultural and urban nature of most generations will draw the curtain over an essential part of its existence: the MTV music channels will be permanently stopped after 44 years of continuous emissions in Europe and other regions. Article The end of a period: The TV post which marked the generations will be closed from 1 January 2026.
More than 4 decades passed since the MTV channel signal began with the transmission of the clip ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’ by The Buggles, and nearly 45 years from that time, the TV channel announced the closure of its music channels. MTV marked different generations when, since the 1980s, it presented a format very similar to the radio, but with image, to enjoy different artists like Michael Jackson and Nirvana. When it began the history of …
As MTV begins shutting down music-only channels, people discuss what the 'final video' should be
On August 1, 1981, gaggles of Gen X-ers gathered around TV sets in the U.S. (and later around the world) to watch the launch of something about which many had only dreamed. No, it wasn't our own 80s-inspired moon landing. It was the MTV (Music Television) channel, which was set to show music videos on a 24/7 cycle. Much like the 1969 moon launch (which MTV features in its logos), it was an opportunity for a new generation to celebrate something,…
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