Is MTV Shutting Down? Everything to Know About the Channels Going Off the Air
- - Is MTV Shutting Down? Everything to Know About the Channels Going Off the Air
Charlotte WalshJanuary 2, 2026 at 12:43 AM
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MTV logo -
On Dec. 31, MTV shut down a number of its music-only channels
The flagship channels will continue airing programming
MTV first debuted in the United States on Aug. 1, 1981
It's the end of an era at MTV.
On Dec. 31, 2025, the network shut down several music-only channels, ending decades of 24-hour music broadcasting. MTV first announced the move back in October, per Rolling Stone.
MTV first launched in the United States on Aug. 1, 1981. The first video it aired was "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles — which was also the final clip that MTV Music played on Dec. 31.
"While it's a bit sad, it's been a bit sad for a while. I think MTV had its time and history that time will never repeat, and it's time to change," former MTV DJ Daisy Fuentes told PEOPLE in October 2025. "We all change. We have to evolve. And I hope that there's another version of them, just like there's another version of us, us who were part of that we're no longer the same. Why should we expect them to be? The world has changed so much."
So, is MTV shutting down for good? Here's everything to know about the channels that are going off the air.
Is MTV shutting down?
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Lady Gaga accepts the Artist of the Year award at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards
No, MTV isn't shutting down altogether. However, the network axed a number of its dedicated music channels from airwaves at the end of 2025.
MTV's flagship channels will continue to air regularly scheduled programming, including franchises like The Challenge and RuPaul's Drag Race. Per Variety, MTV is 2025's 49th most-popular cable network, coming in front of Comedy Central.
Which MTV channels have gone off the air?
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The Edge and Bono, both of the group U2, and MTV VJ Alan Hunter on April 21, 1983
MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV and MTV Live went off the air in various countries on Dec. 31. The United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Australia and Brazil were impacted, according to the BBC.
Each channel aired a different video in its final moments. MTV Music played "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles, while MTV 90s aired the Spice Girls' "Goodbye."
Viewers who now try to tune in to these channels will see a scene cycling through the affected channel's logos. A chyron notes that fans can access MTV content on the main channel, MTV HD.
Why is MTV shutting down its music-only channels?
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MTV Logo is seen onstage during the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards
Neither MTV nor its parent company, Paramount, has not commented on its reasoning for shutting down several of its channels dedicated to music programming, per Rolling Stone.
This isn't the first time that the network has slashed programming. Earlier in the year, MTV paused several awards shows — including the MTV Europe Music Awards and MTV Latin America’s MIAW Awards. The move came amid cost-cutting measures during Paramount's $8 billion merger with Skydance, which was completed in August 2025, according to the .
In May 2023, the network's news division, MTV News, was shut down after 36 years amid "pressure from broader economic headwinds," per Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks president Chris McCarthy.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
