US EditionMTV music channels go dark the way they began, with ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’
- On Dec. 31, Paramount Skydance shut several MTV-branded music channels in the United Kingdom, including MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV and MTV Live, ending decades of round-the-clock music programming.
- After Skydance acquired Paramount, the company announced in October it is reviewing its international TV business as viewers shift to streaming, fitting cutbacks after the acquisition.
- Channels signed off by playing the Buggles' `Video Killed the Radio Star`, while MTV 90s ended with the Spice Girls' `Goodbye`, BBC journalist Jono Read shared footage of each final video.
- Despite online posts, MTV remained on air on New Year's Day 2026, with flagship MTV channels airing The Challenge and RuPaul's Drag Race, while MTV News went dark and layoffs occurred.
- As cable declines, music video programming has moved to streaming and FAST channels, with MTV Classic and Pluto TV preserving music content despite MTV's diminished cable-era role.
43 Articles
43 Articles
The Day the Music Video Died: All Remaining MTV Music Channels Officially Shut Down
As of December 31, 2025, MTV has closed the book on a defining era of music television. The music video giant has officially shut down its remaining 24-hour music channels as trends have notably shifted to favor streaming platforms instead. MTV as a brand isn’t going anywhere, and its main channels will still broadcast reality and scripted television. But its overall model has drastically changed as the decades wore on. In the words of 20th-cent…
MTV closed its last musical channels and closed the loop with an iconic clip.
The multiplatform Music Television (MTV) closed in 2026 its music channels with uninterrupted transmission in the UK, Germany, France, Ireland, Poland, Austria, Brazil and Australia, marking the end of a stage for the signal that for decades was synonymous with video clips 24 hours a day.
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