Video may have killed the radio star, but the video star seems to be going the way of 8-tracks.
MTV UK will be pulling the plug on five channels by the end of the year, according to reports.
MTV HD will still be on the air in the UK with reality shows, but MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV and MTV Live are expected to be turned off around Dec. 31, according to the BBC.
International Business Times UK said Paramount Global confirmed the news.
MTV launched in the U.S. in 1981 and brought benchmark moments into people’s living rooms, including Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video, Live Aid and MTV Video Music Awards.
As International Business Times UK wrote, “For years, it was the cultural compass for youth, a place where music wasn’t just heard, but seen, styled, and lived."
The European version started in 1987, and in a decade, the UK had its own.
The UK isn’t the only market where MTV is expected to shut down channels. Paramount may also be looking at closing down MTV music channels in Australia, Poland, France and Brazil.
Industry experts said the downfall of MTV UK’s channel is the rise of YouTube and social media, NME reported.
This is not the first time that MTV has closed some of its divisions. It closed MTVU, which played at universities, in 2018 and MTV News shut down in 2023, USA Today reported.
©2024 Cox Media Group
