MTV To Shut Down Five Iconic Music Channels By Year-End, Marking The End Of An Era

More than forty years since it first redefined music and youth culture, MTV is set to shut down five of its most iconic music channels. On October 12, 2025, Paramount Global announced that MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV, and MTV Live will permanently go off air by December 31, 2025. For millions of viewers worldwide, these channels were once the heartbeat of music television,home to videos, live performances, and timeless hits that shaped generations of pop culture. Their closure signals the end of an era, leaving only the flagship MTV channel, now largely devoted to reality programming such as Catfish and The Challenge.

The shutdown will begin in the United Kingdom and Ireland before expanding across continental Europe and other markets including Australia, Poland, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Brazil. Once the primary destination for music discovery, these channels have steadily lost viewership as audiences migrate to digital platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Spotify. Despite attracting 1.3 million viewers for MTV Music and 949,000 for MTV 90s in July 2025, the figures remain a fraction of the audiences MTV commanded during its 1990s and 2000s peak.

The decision follows Paramount Global’s merger with Skydance Media earlier this year and forms part of a wider $500 million cost-cutting plan aimed at streamlining operations and strengthening its streaming service, Paramount+.

Launched in 1981 as a 24-hour music video channel, MTV revolutionized the way people consumed music and became a global pop culture icon. Over time, as viewing habits shifted, the network transitioned from music television to reality-driven entertainment, leaving these spin-off channels as the last remnants of its original DNA. Responding to the news, former MTV VJ Simone Angel said, “I’m really sad and a little in disbelief. MTV was the place where everything came together. It truly breaks my heart.”

Though the dedicated music channels will cease broadcasting, MTV will continue its digital evolution through Paramount+ and social media, carrying its legacy into a streaming-first era even as it closes one of the most defining chapters in television history.