Image by Quang Lự Đỗ
MTV will discontinue its 24-hour music channels in the UK and Ireland at the close of 2025, marking the end of an era for the broadcaster nearly four decades after its global expansion.
The US-based network will retire five channels in the region from December 31, 2025: MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV, and MTV Live. These channels are also scheduled to cease operations in Germany, France, Austria, Poland, Australia, and Brazil at later dates.
Programming on MTV HD, which features shows such as Catfish, The Hills, Geordie Shore, and Teen Mom, will continue unaffected beyond the December deadline.
According to BBC News, the move forms part of broader cost-cutting measures implemented by Paramount, MTV’s parent company, as it seeks to save approximately $500 million (£376m) in advance of an $8 million merger with Skydance Media.
MTV is widely recognised as the world’s first 24-hour music channel, launching in 1981 and famously broadcasting The Buggles’ Video Killed the Radio Star as its inaugural music video. Its first international 24-hour channel, MTV Global, launched in London in August 1987, with Elton John turning on the signal in Amsterdam and Dire Straits’ ‘Money for Nothing’ airing as the debut video.
While changing consumption habits, particularly the rise of YouTube and social media platforms, have influenced music viewing, MTV Music continued to attract substantial audiences, recording over 1.3 million viewers in the UK in July, according to Barb statistics.
The announcement underscores a shifting landscape in music broadcasting, as legacy channels adapt to digital-first consumption while maintaining a historical footprint in shaping global music culture.
