As the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve 2025, a poignant full-circle moment unfolded across screens in the UK and beyond.
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MTV's remaining 24-hour music-only channels signed off for the final time, with many broadcasting "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles — the very same clip that launched the original MTV on August 1, 1981, with the iconic words: "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll."
This symbolic farewell marked the end of an era. On December 31, 2025, Paramount Skydance — the newly merged entity following the $8 billion deal completed in 2025 — pulled the plug on channels like MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV, and MTV Live in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Similar shutdowns affected music-only MTV outlets in Australia, France, Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, and Brazil.
The decision, announced in October 2025, stems from aggressive cost-cutting under CEO David Ellison, aiming for $500 million in savings to streamline operations amid declining linear TV viewership.
With audiences flocking to YouTube, TikTok, and streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, maintaining dedicated music video channels on cable has become unsustainable.
MTV revolutionized pop culture when it debuted in 1981, turning music videos into an art form and launching careers for artists like Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Duran Duran. At its peak in the 1980s and 1990s, it was the pulse of youth culture, with VJs, countdowns, and groundbreaking shows.
But the shift away from music began decades ago. By the 2000s, reality hits like The Real World, Jersey Shore, and Ridiculousness dominated schedules. The U.S. phased out pure music programming years earlier, with MTV Classic offering occasional throwbacks (still airing videos as of early 2026).
Flagship MTV channels worldwide continue, focusing on entertainment and reality TV — think The Challenge and Teen Mom.
This isn't the first cut: In 2023, MTV News shut down after 36 years, and its archives vanished online. Awards shows like the MTV Europe Music Awards were canceled amid merger preparations.
The irony of ending with "Video Killed the Radio Star" isn't lost on fans — a song prophesying technology's disruption of old media. Now, streaming has "killed" the video star's traditional home. Yet music discovery thrives digitally, and Paramount plans to pivot MTV content toward platforms like Paramount+ and YouTube.
As one chapter closes quietly — no grand announcement, just a fade to black — the legacy endures: MTV didn't just play videos; it shaped how we experience music forever. The beat goes on, just not on cable.
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