MTV UK will reportedly end its run of continuous music videos when it shuts down five of its channels at the end of the year.
According to the BBC, MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV, and MTV Live are all set to go off-air after December 31. However, MTV’s flagship channel, MTV HD, will continue broadcasting and will keep airing its popular reality shows such as Naked Dating UK and Geordie Shore.
The original MTV channel first launched in the U.S. in 1981, with the Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star” as its debut music video, marking the beginning of one of the most influential eras in music history. MTV Europe followed in 1987, opening its broadcast with Dire Straits’ “Money For Nothing.”
The closure of these channels is believed to be driven by a steady decline in viewership, largely attributed to changing audience habits and the overwhelming popularity of digital platforms such as YouTube.
While MTV and its parent company, Paramount, have not yet confirmed the reports, fans have already taken to social media to share their reactions, expressing nostalgia and disappointment.
“MTV was culturally and spiritually dead when it stopped airing music videos. Corporate-led decline of what was once the coolest brand in existence. Sad,” one person wrote.
Another commented, “The 80s channel was a good channel. Sadly, the main channel seemed to concentrate on rubbish reality TV programmes.” A third fan described the news as “the end of an era.”
MTV UK, a dedicated British version of the channel, launched in 1997 and became known for hosting live shows like TRL (Total Request Live), inspired by its American counterpart, and Ex On The Beach.
Although the main channel stopped airing music videos in 2011, it continued to broadcast the MTV European Music Awards, which were paused for 2025 as Paramount proceeded with its ongoing merger with Skydance Media.