Paramount halts MTV music projects due to declining audience interest

MTV, one of the most famous music brands, is taking a significant step: five of its TV channels in the UK are going out of business, giving way to new platforms such as YouTube.

The MTV brand has announced the closure of five of its UK channels. MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV, and MTV Live will stop broadcasting after December 31. Changes in media consumption drive the decision, with music videos now being watched mostly on YouTube and social media rather than on TV, a BBC report noted.

Meanwhile, MTV HD will retain its broadcast but focus on reality shows, including Naked Dating UK and Geordie Shore. Paramount, which owns MTV, has yet to comment on the situation.

Simone Angel, a former MTV host, expressed her dismay at the news, saying, “I’m so sad, I can’t believe this is happening…MTV was a place where everything came together, and it breaks my heart.”

MTV began broadcasting in the US in 1981 and quickly became the leading music channel, famous for music videos and video jockey hosts. The channel featured Michael Jackson’s Thriller music video, broadcast Live Aid in 1985, and launched the MTV Video Music Awards. A separate channel in Great Britain appeared in 1997.

Angel recalls those days as “a school trip without teachers,” highlighting MTV Europe’s global influence among an audience of around 150 million viewers. She cited Mikhail Gorbachev’s words to the channel’s management: “Music has achieved more than rockets.”

In 2011, the main channel, MTV UK, refused to air music videos, airing them only on its subsidiary stations. Even the MTV European Music Awards are now on hold as the company reviews its strategy following its merger with Skydance Media.

According to media reports, similar cuts are planned for TV channels in Australia, Poland, France, and Brazil. Paramount is looking to cut costs by $500 million.