After 44 years, MTV is officially ending the last of its 24-hour music channels on a global scale
What is this world coming to? Just when you thought 2025 beat the dollar signs out of your bank account and gave you too many reasons to go back to therapy, it’s ready to deal another blow before a new year introduces a host of other problems to sift through. Am I being too pessimistic? Too bad! One of the most formative aspects of my childhood is dying, and I need somewhere to put my feelings. After forty-four years, MTV is going the way of the dodo. Pour one out, folks, because MTV‘s remaining 24-hour music channels will soon shut down globally.
Shows that made MTV the place to be
While MTV as a brand isn’t going anywhere, the reason we fell in love with the channel is disappearing from the airwaves. Before platforms like YouTube and Vimeo shared music videos with millions of daily users, MTV was the place to be to see the latest visual spectacles from your favorite musical artists. In addition to airing must-see TV like 120 Minutes, Headbanger’s Ball, Yo! MTV Raps, Alternative Nation, Amp, and more, MTV kept you entertained into the wee hours of the morning with Liquid Television, Aeon Flux, The Head, The Maxx, and Cartoon Sushi.
Don’t even get me started on MTV News. Back in my day, when you heard that theme by Beanie Sigel, or the stinger cut from the Stone Temple Pilots song “Lounge Fly,” you dropped everything to pay attention. I can still recall the afternoon when MTV’s Kurt Loder broke the news about Kurt Cobain’s tragic death. For a grunge-obsessed “freak” like me, the world stopped that day. Cobain’s passing was one of my first confrontations with a celebrity death that hit close to home. Cobain and John Candy, really.
Which MTV channels are going dark?
In the U.K. and across parts of Europe, channels such as MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV, and MTV Live are being removed from Sky and Virgin Media lineups. In the U.S., remaining regional cable feeds that still carried music-only MTV programming will go dark as distribution contracts expire.
Which channels are disappearing? According to reports, the five channels slated for closure are MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV, and MTV Live. All five channels will close by December 31, 2025.
Why can’t we have nice things?
Why are the channels shutting down? There are lots of reasons for the MTV channels going dark, but essentially, it’s due to a decline in audience engagement and a shift in viewing habits. Other reasons include cost-cutting measures and restructuring at Paramount Global, as well as a change in focus from linear channels to digital and streaming platforms.
Say it ain’t so, MTV! Let’s negotiate a deal for a 24/7 MTV Unplugged channel! Imagine it. Non-stop broadcasts of Unplugged performances by Nirvana, Alice in Chains, The Cure, Stone Temple Pilots, Bjork, Hole, The Cranberries, Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, Korn, Placebo, and everyone in between! I don’t ask for much. At least give me this!
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