MTV’s Music-Only Channels Have Officially Gone Silent

(RIP to music videos doing the heavy lifting)

The final curtain has fallen on MTV’s last remaining music-only channels, and yes, this one hurts a little.

MTV parent company Paramount Skydance has officially shut down the network’s 24-hour music video channels. As of December 31, 2025, the screens went dark on MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV, and MTV Live.

That’s right. No more flipping channels and accidentally discovering a song that would soundtrack your entire personality for the next six months.

RELATED: MuchMusic Is Coming Back, But on TikTok

It’s Not Just North America

The shutdown isn’t stopping at the border. Music-only MTV channels in Australia, Poland, France, and Brazil are also expected to be phased out. Meanwhile, the main MTV channel will continue on, focusing on reality TV and pop culture programming. Less music, more chaos.

A Full-Circle Moment

MTV launched as Music Television on August 1, 1981, becoming the world’s first 24-hour music video channel and completely changing how people discovered music. For an entire generation, MTV wasn’t just background noise; it was culture.

And in a poetic gut punch, many regions reportedly played Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles as the final video before signing off. The same song that launched MTV back in 1981 also helped close the door. If that’s not cinematic, nothing is.

The Bottom Line

MTV didn’t just air music videos; it defined how we watched them. While playlists and algorithms have taken over, there’s something undeniably sad about the end of an era where music videos ruled the airwaves.

Pour one out for countdown shows, late-night video marathons, and waiting hours just to catch your favourite song. 📺🎶 MTV may still exist, but the music video era has officially faded to black.