When MTV launched in 1981, the first music video aired was The Buggles’ “Video Killed The Radio Star.” Now, in an ironic twist, it is MTV that’s killing the video star.
As reported by BBC News, the now-ironically named “Music Television” network will close five channels in the UK at year’s end, effectively ending its airing of music videos after almost 40 years.
MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV, and MTV Live will all stop broadcasting after Dec. 31, 2025.
The flagship channel, MTV HD, will remain on air. Unfortunately, much like its American counterpart, that channel is mostly dedicated to reality shows like Naked Dating UK and Geordie Shore (a British offshoot of the US’ Jersey Shore).
MTV’s parent company, Paramount, is expected to close MTV music channels in other countries, including Australia, Poland, France, and Brazil.
The closures follow an interesting few months for Paramount, highlighted by an approved merger with Skydance Media in July. The company is continuing to look to cut costs by as much as $500m across its global portfolio.
Despite layoffs, MTV’s UK music channels continued to attract modest audiences, with 1.3 million viewers in July. MTV 90s received the biggest share of viewers, with 949,000.
The brand will also have a continued presence on social media and Paramount’s streaming service, Paramount+.