It’s hard to overstate the impact of the first 24-hour music video channel on the world’s teens. But after four decades, and with the advent of Instagram’s direct fan connections, the endless variety of clips on YouTube and now the Pandora’s Box of AI video, the world’s flagship music channel has arguably become a victim of its own success.
As such, MTV today stopped showing a 24-hour feed of music videos in the UK after 38 years in rotation. MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV and MTV Live have all stopped broadcasting in the UK as well as Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Australia and Brazil.
They went out just as the original American 24/7 music video channel began, according to the BBC’s Jono Reed: with the Buggles’ sunny “Video Killed the Radio Star.”
Not only is MTV ending some of its international music channels, which played music videos around the clock, but the main network is also canceling some of its long-running programming. Although it was a long time ago when the MTV flagship played actual music videos in the U.S., its programming in recent years has been reruns of the clip show Ridiculousness. MTV was heavily trolled for its round-the-clock programming of the long-running series.
Earlier this year, sources told Deadline the show was ending its run after 14 years.
In September, it was also reported that MTV had canceled Catfish: The TV Show after nine seasons on the air.
All these changes are taking place amid its parent company reducing its workforce nearly three months after the close of the $8.4 billion merger of Paramount and Skydance.
