Every generation has that one place where everything cool happens. Whether it was “American Bandstand,” “Solid Gold,” “Soul Train” or G4, it’s the place where young people would find out what they’re supposed to like, what they relate to, what’s trending, what’s fresh and what’s worthy of nostalgic yearning. For kids coming of age in the early 1980s, especially those of us growing up in the suburbs with a little too much free time and unspervised access to cable television, it was MTV.
So it broke my heart a little to see a BBC News report that after more than 40 years, several MTV music channels were shut down in the U.K.
MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV and MTV Live stopped broadcasting in the British Isles on Jan. 1, 2026, all casualties of Paramount’s recent merger with Skydance Media. Similar shutdowns are expected in Poland, France, Brazil and Australia.
It should be quickly noted that a trace of the MTV brand will live on in England. MTV HD, thier flagship channel, plans to shift from a music focus and lean heavily into reality programming like, “Geordie Shore” and “Dating Naked UK.”
Photo of Emotions on the set of Soul TrainGetty Images
My business sensibilities understand why the decision was made. Viewing habits have changed for younger audiences. Thanks to YouTube, TikTok and various streaming services, today’s youth no longer have to wait for videos to appear on television. They can watch them instantly on portable devices in their hands.
Traffic moves along 6th Avenue in New York, over the logo painted in the street outside Radio City Music Hall for the MTV Music Video Awards ceremony.ASSOCIATED PRESS
But logic doesn’t dull nostalgia. There’s a lot of history wrapped up in this industry move. This decision carries real cultural weight.
Hulk Hogan, Mr. T and Cyndi Lauper at the Shrine Auditorium, in February 1985.Getty Images
For decades, MTV was the closest thing music fans had to a shared, communal experience. It wasn’t that music videos were new. Artists like The Beatles, The Doors, and even the Big Bopper were already making promotional clips back in the ’60s. The difference was those videos popped up randomly. You might see one as late-night filler or on the occasional talk-show clip. MTV was focused… An entire channel devoted to music, all day and all night, and that was revolutionary. Young watchers were hooked. It was fresh, loud, and totally made for us.
The Big Bopper (Jiles Perry Richardson, Jr.) performs his hit “Chantilly Lace” in 1958.Getty Images
MTV created our superstars. Artists like Van Halen, Prince, Cyndi Lauper and Duran Duran dominated in heavy rotation. If your video blew up on MTV, you’d officially made it. MTV truly touched the psyche of a few generations.
Lead singer of Van Halen, David Lee Roth, prances and poses onstage in Inglewood, California. In later years, Roth became an MTV favorite as a solo video artist.Getty Images
I recently put out a casual call on Facebook asking friends across a lifetime to share their MTV memories. The responses poured in and the collective memories were vast and varied.
The jacket Michael Jackson wore in the “Thriller” video is one of the artifacts featured in the “1984” exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of FameRock and Roll Hall of Fame
People recalled moments that felt historic even as they happened. The premiere of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” came up a lot. Admiaration for Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing,” featuring its cutting-edge computer animation did as well. The band Yes creating 18 different videos of “Leave It” that were played in a marathon came up. Other friends noted the impact of “Live Aid,” proving rock and roll could unite the world for a worthy cause, as well as “Rock the Vote” making civic engagement feel relevant.
Presidential Candidate Bill Clinton at MTV’s Rock The Vote (Photo by L. Cohen/WireImage)WireImage
For some, MTV came with an edgy hint of rebellion. The controversy around Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” ensured the channel was off-limits in certain households. That didn’t stop determined teenagers from sneaking over to friends’ houses to watch anyway. If anything, the censorship made the experience more enticing, dangerous and delicious.
Madonna wearing a Jean Paul Gaultier conical bra corset.Getty Images
Many mentioned the original personalities from the early years. VJs like Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, J.J. Jackson, and Martha Quinn, who felt less like hosts and more like friends guiding us to the newest sights and sounds we should know about.
Pauly Shore during Comic Relief V To Benefit America’s Homeless – May 16,1992 at Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles, California.Ron Galella Collection via Getty
These roles evolved into platforms for all-new celebrities. Pauly Shore and his nasal “Hey, buddy,” catchphrase, Lake Oswego homegirl Kennedy and her pink GOP elephant tattoo, Downtown Julie Brown and her “Wubba, wubba, wubba,” call as she toured dance clubs, to name just a few.
Portrait of American MTV VJ Kennedy (born Lisa Kennedy Montgomery) on the set of her MTV show, ‘Alternative Nation,’ New York, New York, October 1994. She wears a t-shirt that reads ‘Counter AID,’ an AIDS-awareness initiative.Getty Images
MTV felt less like a network and more like a college campus. A collection of eclectic personalities blended together into the heartbeat of 1980s and early ’90s pop culture.
Parachute pantsRedferns
MTV didn’t just play music; it dictated how an entire generation dressed and moved. So many of my friends responded with fashion memories inspired by the network: grunge flannels, parachute pants, oversized coats, and hair that defied gravity and logic.
La chanteuse française Julie Pietri à Paris en aout 1987, FranceGamma-Rapho via Getty Images
Some mentioned the fast-paced aesthetic editing. They credited the channel for rewiring how we process images as a society, noting the strobe-like color changes in the MTV logo that flashed between videos.
MTV Logo is seen onstage at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)Getty Images
Others recalled personal moments; the premiere of Pearl Jam’s “Alive” music video, cranking Mojo Nixon’s profane ode to Martha Quinn in a dormitory rec-room, borrowing a pencil from Randy of the Redwoods at his own presidential campaign press conference.
Portrait of Mojo Nixon of Mojo NixonGetty Images
Many cited “120 Minutes” as a turning point, the late-night program that introduced them to alternative music they still listen to decades later. Others pointed to “Yo! MTV Raps,” “Headbanger’s Ball” and “MTV Unplugged.”
Public Enemy (Flavor Flav (aka William Jonathan Drayton Jr.); Chuck D (aka Carlton Douglas Ridenhour) and Terminator X ( aka Norman Rogers)) appears on the “Public Enemy Week” segment of “Yo! MTV Raps” with hosts Doctor Dre’ (aka Andre Brown) and Ed Lover (aka James Roberts) on September 19, 1991 in New York City.Getty Images
Even the commercials stuck. Bart Simpson became famous in the “Better bite a Butterfinger” ads that were featured in heavy rotation between his debut on The Tracey Ullman Show and the airing of the first episode of The Simpsons.
After wrapping up its first season, “The Simpsons” TV show was popular among kids and teenagers, especially ten-year-old Bart, whose controversial t-shirts faced bans across the country.
The switch to non-music programming was also engraved in people’s memories. Twisted animation hits like “Beavis and Butthead,” “Daria” and “Aeon Flux” raised eyebrows and stifled smiles. Groundbreaking reality shows like “The Real World” and “Road Rules” paved the way for later hits like “The Osbournes,” “Newlyweds,” and “Laguna Beach.” Because of these hits, perhaps MTV HD’s focus was destined long, long ago..
NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 10: A child is photographed watching a controversial ‘Beavis and Butt-head’ fire episode on television October 4, 1993 in New York City. (Photo by Yvonne Hemsey/Getty Images)Getty Images
Again and again, people replied to each other’s comments in my feed with yhe same phrase: “Oh yeah, I forgot about that one.”
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – NOVEMBER 19: The Osbournes (L-R) Jack, Sharon, Ozzy and Kelly are shown in this undated photo on Novemember 19, 2002 in Beverly Hills, California. The Osbournes will host the 30th Annual American Music Awards on January 13, 2003 in Los Angeles. (Handout photo delivered by Getty Images)Getty Images
For those of us who grew up with it, MTV was more than programming. It was a collective experience. We’ll probably never see anything quite like it again. The logo will live on, the concept will evolve and the business will fall where it may…But the loud, flickering, influential memories? Those will remain unmistakably ours.
