MTV is shuttering its music channels in the UK – and now fans are wondering if the US could be next.
The iconic music TV channel is closing five stations in the UK, including MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV and MTV Live, according to the BBC. These channels will go dark after Dec. 31, 2025.
Its flagship channel MTV HD will remain available in the region, though it mainly airs reality shows like “Teen Mom” and “Geordie Shore,” not music videos.
MTV launched in the US in 1981. It was the first 24-hour music broadcaster, and quickly became known for its ability to churn out headline-making moments – like the debut of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” music video in 1983 and its 16-hour telecast of the Live Aid concerts in 1985.
It hosted its inaugural MTV Video Music Awards in 1984 with performances from Madonna and Tina Turner.
MTV launched a European channel in 1987 and a UK version in 1997. But viewership has been in a free-fall for years as fans have pivoted to YouTube and other digital platforms for their music.
In 2011, MTV HD stopped showing music videos as it struggled to hold onto viewers, pushing music over to its sister channels.
MTV Entertainment Group, which also owns shows like “Beavis and Butt-head” and “Catfish,” is owned by Paramount Skydance.
Paramount Global, which owns CBS, and Skydance Media completed their $8.4 billion merger in July.
The new company has been looking for ways to cut costs by as much as $500 million across its global portfolio.
In August, it closed Paramount Television Studios, which produced films and shows including action series “Jack Ryan” starring John Krasinski.
Now, the company is expected to close MTV music channels in Australia, Poland, France and Brazil, according to local media in these countries.
Paramount did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment about future closures.
Simone Angel, who worked for MTV Europe and MTV UK in the 1990s, said she was “really sad, and I’m a little bit in disbelief, and I know it’s been a long time coming.”
“MTV Europe was really the forerunner to the internet. We were the most widespread TV channel in the world at that point. We had between 100 and 150 million viewers,” she told the BBC.
“It was like being on a school trip without any teachers. We had so much fun,” she added.
Angel praised MTV for its broad cultural impact. She recounted a time when former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev told the head of MTV that the channel showed young people in the Communist countries behind the Iron Curtain in the 1980s what Western life was like.
“You’ve just got to move with the times. To this day, it’s one of the most recognizable brands in the world. Why on earth throw that away?” Angel continued.
