In a move that marks the end of a cultural era, MTV will silence its music channels in the UK at the end of 2025. The broadcaster that once declared “I Want My MTV” will close five dedicated music channels on December 31, culminating a nearly 40-year run that transformed how the world experienced popular music .
The channels facing termination include MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV, and MTV Live. Only the flagship MTV HD channel will remain, though it long ago abandoned music videos in favor of reality programming like Geordie Shore and Naked Dating UK .
The shutdown represents a massive retreat from linear television by parent company Paramount, which is executing deep cost-cutting measures following its merger with Skydance Media earlier this year. The company aims to slash as much as $500 million (£376m) from its global operations .
A European-Wide Blackout
The UK closures are part of a much broader international realignment that will see MTV music channels disappear across multiple continents. According to industry reports, similar shutdowns are planned for markets in Australia, Poland, France, Brazil, and throughout Central and Eastern Europe .
In Germany and Austria, MTV Live HD will cease transmission by year’s end, while in the Benelux region, local versions of MTV 80s and MTV 00s are also being discontinued . The scale of this pullback underscores a fundamental shift in how media companies approach international markets in the streaming era.
The Digital Revolution Claims Another Icon
The demise of MTV’s dedicated music channels reflects a dramatic transformation in viewing habits that has been years in the making. Music videos have largely migrated to platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and social media, where viewers can access them on-demand rather than waiting for scheduled programming .
Former MTV VJ Simone Angel captured the melancholy many feel about this digital transition: “We need to support these artists and we all need to dance again and listen to music,” she told BBC News. “And I know we do that online in our own little bubbles, but MTV was the place where everything came together. So it really does break my heart” .
The viewing numbers underscore this shift. While the threatened channels still attracted modest audiences—MTV Music drew 1.3 million viewers in July 2024—these figures pale in comparison to the platform’s cultural dominance in its heyday, and likely don’t justify continued investment in linear channel operations .
The Golden Age: When MTV Was Music Television
For generations who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, MTV represented far more than just a television channel—it was a cultural phenomenon that shaped musical tastes, launched careers, and created a shared visual language for popular music .
Groundbreaking Moments
- 1981: MTV launched in the US, creating the first 24-hour music video channel and introducing the world to the “VJ” (video jockey)
- 1983: The world premiere of Michael Jackson’s groundbreaking Thriller video set new standards for music video production
- 1985: MTV’s 16-hour broadcast of Live Aid brought global charity concerts into living rooms worldwide
- 1987: MTV Europe launched, becoming one of the first truly pan-continental television channels
- 1997: The UK got its own dedicated MTV channel, launching appropriately with the video for “Three Lions” by David Baddiel, Frank Skinner, and The Lightning SeedsÂ
The channel’s influence extended beyond entertainment. Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev once told MTV’s boss that “Music achieved more than missiles,” acknowledging the channel’s role in breaking through Iron Curtain propaganda by showing Western youth culture .
From Music to Reality: The Great Transition
MTV’s evolution away from music programming began gradually. The main MTV UK channel abandoned music videos entirely in 2011, pushing all music content to its sister stations while transforming itself into a general entertainment channel focused on reality television .
This transition reflected both changing viewer preferences and the economic realities of television production. Reality programming proved cheaper to produce and more lucrative than music videos, especially as the latter became freely available online .
The annual MTV European Music Awards—once a highlight of the music calendar that featured memorable moments like The Spice Girls’ final performance before their initial split—has been put “on pause” as Paramount reevaluates its portfolio following the Skydance merger .
What Remains: The Survivors and the Casualties
The Channels Being Closed
| Channel | Focus | Final Broadcast |
|---|---|---|
| MTV Music | Broad music videos | December 31, 2025 |
| MTV 80s | 1980s music | December 31, 2025 |
| MTV 90s | 1990s music | December 31, 2025 |
| Club MTV | Electronic dance music | December 31, 2025 |
| MTV Live | Concert footage | December 31, 2025 |
What Stays (For Now)
- MTV HD: The flagship channel, now focused on reality showsÂ
- Social media presence: MTV’s digital and social media operationsÂ
- Paramount+: The streaming service that now represents Paramount’s strategic priorityÂ
The closures extend beyond MTV-branded channels. In some markets, Paramount is also shuttering Nickelodeon-branded channels including TeenNick and NickMusic, though Nickelodeon, Nicktoons and Nick Jr. are expected to remain available in the UK and Ireland for the time being .
The Human Cost: “A Bloodbath of Cuts”
Behind the channel closures lies significant human impact. Paramount has already eliminated MTV’s UK production team earlier this year, canceling local programs including Gonzo and Fresh Out UK .
One source described the scene to The Sun: “To say there has been a bloodbath of cuts would be an understatement. Staff are in tears as some have been there for decades” .
The production cuts have also affected Paramount Television Studios, which produced series including Jack Ryan and The Spiderwick Chronicles .
“I Want My MTV”: From Cultural Force to Niche Service
For those who witnessed MTV’s glory days, the channel closures feel like the final note of a long-fading song. Former VJ Simone Angel remembers it as a “wild” time. “It was like being on a school trip without any teachers. We had so much fun,” she recalled. “MTV Europe was really the forerunner to the internet. We were the most widespread TV channel in the world at that point. We had between 100 and 150 million viewers” .
The channel launched the careers of presenters including Cat Deeley, Emma Willis, and Zane Lowe, and introduced British audiences to American reality franchises that would eventually dominate its programming .
The Future: Music Television in the Digital Age
As the December 31 shutdown date approaches, media observers note that the closure of MTV’s music channels represents not just the end of a brand, but of an entire format. Linear music television—scheduled programming of music videos on dedicated channels—has been rendered largely obsolete by on-demand streaming .
Yet Angel believes there’s still value in the communal experience MTV once provided. “You’ve just got to move with the times,” she acknowledges. “To this day, it’s one of the most recognisable brands in the world. Why on earth throw that away? It’s not thrown away, but it’s just reality TV. That’s not what MTV is or should be” .
As the screens go dark on New Year’s Eve, MTV will continue as a reality television brand and digital presence, but the cultural institution that once defined music television will have officially ended its broadcast. The revolution it started in 1981 will live on—not on television screens, but in the digital platforms that ultimately made scheduled music video programming obsolete.