MTV to shut remaining music channels worldwide by December

MTV will shut its remaining international music channels by the end of the year, marking the most significant pullback in the network’s history as audiences continue to migrate to streaming. Agence France-Presse reported that Paramount Skydance plans to close MTV Music, MTV Hits and its 80s and 90s spin-offs across the UK and Europe.

The broadcaster, which transformed global pop culture when it launched in 1981, will also end music-channel operations in France, Germany, Poland, Australia and Brazil, according to multiple media reports. Sources told AFP the closures would take effect in December.

MTV’s withdrawal ends more than four decades of music-led programming that began when the channel debuted with “Video Killed the Radio Star”, a moment that symbolised a new era of visual music consumption. Through the 1980s and 1990s, MTV expanded worldwide, shaping youth culture with its music rotation, celebrity interviews, reality shows and award ceremonies.

But the rise of YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music and TikTok has eroded the audience for traditional music television. Reuters and other outlets have noted that MTV has spent the past decade shifting towards reality formats, while its dedicated music feeds have suffered shrinking viewership and falling advertising revenue.

The closures reflect the end of linear music TV, as consumers turn almost entirely to on-demand platforms. Paramount’s decision narrows MTV’s global footprint to entertainment programming and digital content, a move likely to accelerate the brand’s transition toward streaming-first formats.