Paramount Global has announced that several of MTV’s music-focused channels, including MTV 80s, MTV 90s, MTV-Music, Club-MTV, and MTV-Live, will go off air in the UK and Ireland by December 31, 2025. The move marks a significant shift for a brand once synonymous with pop culture and televised music.
Following the UK phase-out, similar closures are expected across Europe, Australia, Brazil, and other international markets, according to reports. The decision, however, does not currently affect MTV’s Indian operations, where its channels will continue as usual.
While MTV’s linear music channels are being phased out, MTV-HD will remain on air, focusing primarily on reality and entertainment programming, a direction the brand has leaned into over the past decade.
Industry observers link the move to evolving audience behaviour, as music consumption continues to migrate to digital-first platforms such as YouTube, Spotify, and TikTok. With on-demand video and short-form formats dominating the landscape, traditional music television has seen a sharp decline in viewership.
MTV, once a key tastemaker for global music discovery, now appears to be repositioning itself as a broader entertainment brand within Paramount’s portfolio.
While MTV once served as the primary global tastemaker and cultural nexus for music discovery, that role has been comprehensively taken over by on-demand, digital-first platforms like YouTube, Spotify, and TikTok. The continued existence of the flagship MTV HD channel, which focuses solely on reality and entertainment programming, confirms the brand’s complete pivot away from its music video origins to a broader, youth-focused entertainment portfolio.
The closure of these channels—including nostalgic brands like MTV 80s and MTV 90s—marks the end of an era where a single television network could dictate global pop culture. Going forward, music discovery and video consumption will rely entirely on personalized algorithms, social media trends, and streaming services, cementing a new, fragmented landscape where the viewer, not the broadcaster, is the ultimate curator.
