MTV to take UK music channels off air
MTV is set to take its remaining five UK music channels off the air at the end of 2025.
Following December 31st, 2025, MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV and Live HD will no longer be available to watch for viewers in the UK.
The decision comes shortly after MTV’s parent company, Paramount Global, recently struck details of a merger with Skydance Media.
Although the music channels are set to be closed down, MTV will keep their flagship station, MTV HD, on the airwaves. However, it largely shows reality television programmes rather than music-related content.
News of MTV getting rid of their music channels in the UK was first reported by The Sun, with a source telling the publication, “An official announcement is likely coming but the last air date is New Year’s Eve. The channel is a victim of the rise of streaming.”
Per the BBC, the latest audience ratings from Barb show that MTV has been a victim of dwindling viewership in recent years, with only 1.3 million people tuning into MTV Music in July.
While MTV launched in the US in 1981, which transformed popular culture and made music videos become vitally important for artists, it wasn’t until 1997 that the UK received its own dedicated MTV music channel.
Due to Paramount’s merger with Skydance, MTV announced earlier this year that there would be no MTV European Music Awards in 2025, which has been held annually since 1994, and the future of the award ceremony remains uncertain.
MTV are yet to officially comment on the closure of the channels.
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