Scene
After more than 40 years of influence, MTV is permanently shutting down five of its channels.
On October 12, 2025, Paramount Global announced that, after 44 years of broadcasting, it will shut down five MTV music channels across Europe by December 31, 2025.
Those channels include MTV Music, MTV ’80s, MTV ’90s, Club MTV, and MTV Live, which have long served as cornerstones of music video culture. The shutdown was first announced in the United Kingdom, followed by France, Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Australia, and Brazil. For now, there’s still no word on what the future holds for the U.S. audience.
MTV’s role in pop culture has been monumental, especially before the rise of YouTube and other streaming services. It was the place where you could first hear global hits like “…Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears, but the channel wasn’t just about music, it was also about the hype surrounding music videos themselves.
Some of the artists who rose to fame through MTV include Justin Timberlake and his group *NSYNC, Christina Aguilera, Blink-182, Good Charlotte, Eminem, Limp Bizkit, and many others.
The shutdown comes as part of cost-cutting measures by Paramount Global, which is merging with Skydance Media. It seems to mark another consequence of the rise of digital platforms, which traditional television continues to struggle against.
The main MTV channel will continue broadcasting, but its focus has long since shifted away from music videos, instead prioritizing reality shows such as “Jersey Shore,” “Catfish,” and “Teen Mom.”
