MTV’s music channels are dead after 44 years
- MTV is shutting down its 24-hour music channels in many regions worldwide after today, 44 years after the brand's initial launch.
- This closure affects dedicated music channels like MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV and MTV Live, but the broader MTV brand and network will continue.
- The channels are being removed from UK providers such as Sky and Virgin Media, with remaining U.S. music-only feeds also scheduled to go dark as contracts expire.
- Former MTV video jockey expressed heartbreak at the announcement, telling the BBC: “I'm really sad, and I'm a little bit in disbelief… MTV was the place where everything came together.”
- MTV debuted in the U.S. in 1981 with The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star,” revolutionizing music and pop culture.