After more than 40 years on TV, several MTV music channels are shutting down in the UK this week.
According to BBC newsMTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV and MTV Live will cease broadcasting after December 31, 2025.
Flagship channel MTV HD, which airs reality shows such as “Naked Dating UK” and “Geordie Shore,” will not be affected.
It is unclear whether MTV’s music channels in the US will follow suit. A spokesman for MTV’s parent company, Paramount Skydance, declined to comment on the shutdowns to the BBC.
The decision reflects a significant shift in audience behavior, as music videos are now more likely to be consumed via YouTube and social media than traditional television.
The move also comes just months after Paramount merged with David Ellison’s Skydance Media to create a new company headed by Ellison.
According to media reports in those countries, Paramount Skydance is also expected to involve MTV’s music channels in Australia, Poland, France and Brazil.
In a letter to investors last month, Ellison shared plans to achieve at least $3 billion in cost savings and cut 1,600 employees. Bloomberg.
MTV was first launched as a music channel in the US in 1981 with a focus on showing the most popular music videos. Fittingly, the first music video to be broadcast on television was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles.
The MTV music channel played music videos on a 24-hour loop and was behind major events such as the world premiere of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video and the 16-hour broadcast of Live Aid in 1985. The channel also started the MTV Video Music Awards.
MTV Europe launched in 1987, with the UK receiving its own dedicated music channel by 1997.
Former MTV VJ Simone Angel, who worked for MTV Europe and MTV UK in the 1990s, told BBC News she was “really sad” and “a bit in disbelief” about the company’s decision.
“We need to support these artists and we all need to dance and listen to music again,” continued Angel. “And I know we do it online in our own little bubbles, but MTV was where it all came together. So it really breaks my heart.”
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