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After 40 Years, MTV Is Finally Taking Its Music Channels Off-The-Air Internationally - Here's Why - SlashGear
Fans were devastated to learn that several MTV music channels would be shut down, but why has the station's owner decided to make the move now?
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AFTER 40 YEARS, MTV IS FINALLY TAKING ITS MUSIC CHANNELS OFF-THE-AIR INTERNATIONALLY - HERE'S WHY
In a move that has millennials distraught, MTV is shutting down its international broadcasts at the end of 2025, reflecting broader changes in the music and television industries. MTV is cutting music streaming channels like MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV, and MTV Live, as a result of a changing ownership structure. Paramount Global, MTV's parent company, merged with media rival Skydance Media in an $8 billion mega-deal in August 2025. The move sees Skydance Media owner David Ellison, son of Oracle-founder-made-TikTok-owner Larry Ellison, become one of the most influential figures in the country, taking over some of the country's largest media brands. Upon completing the deal, the conglomerate began a shakeup of its media holdings, including nixing its beloved international music broadcasts.
Launched in 1981, MTV has been a paragon of popular entertainment for nearly half a century, broadcasting culture-defining moments like Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and the Live Aid concert series. The company's international reach has been a staple of its business platform since its European and United Kingdom broadcasts launched in 1987 and 1997, respectively. For some, losing MTV's music videos is symbolic of broader socio-cultural shifts, in which the increasing consolidation of media providers coalesces with streaming and social media's democratization of content, creating a paradox of choice in which there are more mainstream entertainment options than ever, and yet fewer entertainment providers available. While younger fans may find millennials' existential nostalgia overwrought, the details behind the axing of the beloved music video station are endemic of a changing media landscape that may strip fans of more than the serendipity of watching a Nirvana concert on their television sets.
Streaming killed the video star
Ironically, MTV's protracted move away from music videos comes despite the medium's continued success. However, viewership has migrated away from broadcast television, gaining a new life on video streaming platforms. As it stands, YouTube is now the most-watched content provider on American televisions, beating broadcasters like Fox and Disney and streamers like Netflix. MTV's international streaming channels pale in comparison. Ratings showed MTV Music and MTV 90s garnering only a combined 2.25 million views in July 2025, less than the daily totals for some of 2025's most popular music videos, like Taylor Swift's "The Fate of Ophelia" and Daddy Yankee's "El Toque".
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