After shaping the sound and style of generations, MTV is preparing to close a major chapter in its history.
According to E! News, the network will shut down five of its music channels in the United Kingdom, including MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV, and MTV Live, on Dec. 31, 2025. While this has raised questions among fans wondering, “Is MTV shutting down?” its main channel, MTV HD, will continue broadcasting, focusing on reality programming, the outlet reports.
The decision comes more than four decades after MTV revolutionized television by becoming the world’s first 24-hour music video channel. When it launched in the United States in 1981, it famously opened with The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star.” Six years later, MTV Europe expanded the brand’s reach, and by 1997, the U.K.’s MTV channel became a cultural staple for audiences.
Why MTV Is Ending Its UK Music Channels
As BBC News reports, the shutdown reflects the ongoing shift in how audiences consume music. Viewers now turn to platforms like YouTube and social media instead of traditional TV to discover artists and watch music videos. This change has led to declining viewership for MTV’s music channels. In July 2025, MTV Music averaged about 1.3 million viewers, while MTV 90s drew around 949,000.
Parent company Paramount Global, which owns MTV, is undergoing a major restructuring following its merger with Skydance Media, per BBC News. According to Variety, in August 2024, the company revealed a plan to cut approximately $500 million in global expenses, which included layoffs affecting around 2,000 positions.
For many, the closures mark the end of an era. Former MTV video jockey Simone Angel, who hosted during the network’s early years in Europe, told BBC News she was “really sad, and I’m a little bit in disbelief, and I know it’s been a long time coming.”
She added, “We need to support these artists and we all need to dance again and listen to music. …MTV was the place where everything came together.”
MTV’s Shift
While the music-focused channels are ending, MTV HD, the network’s main U.K. channel, will continue. According to BBC News, its schedule will primarily feature reality shows, including “Geordie Shore” and “Naked Dating UK.”
MTV UK had already eliminated music video programming in 2011, the outlet reports, shifting its content to unscripted series. Angel recalled the network’s early days, saying, “It was like being on a school trip without any teachers. We had so much fun.”
The closure of the music channels marks a significant change in how the network operates in the U.K., but MTV HD will remain available for viewers who follow its reality-focused content.
