MTV shut down five of its music channels in the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The television channel officially stopped broadcasting on its MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV and MTV Live channels in the country on Wednesday, Dec. 31, according to multiple reports, after reports of the move first surfaced in October. 24-hour music channels in other countries are also said to be off-air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BBC journalist Jono Read captured MTV Music’s final moments in an X post on Wednesday. The station ended its run with The Buggles’ 1979 single “Video Killed the Radio Star” \u2013 the first video ever to air on MTV \u2013 followed by a sign-off animation. At the bottom, a news ticker read: “MTV Music is now closed. Continue watching over at MTV.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
USA TODAY has reached out to MTV for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The flagship U.K. station MTV HD remains on air, and its American MTV channels \u2013 including MTV, MTV2, MTV Live, MTV Classic and MTV Tres \u2013 are unaffected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Four decades after the revolutionary station aired music videos 24\/7, MTV’s decision is a further sign of the times. MTV’s flagship channel began increasingly circulating reality-show-heavy programming in the 2000s with series like “The Real World,” “Teen Mom” and “Jersey Shore.” The network’s sister channels feature more music-centered content, though with significantly less reach, distribution and revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2023, MTV shuttered its music news division and website, MTV News. Its campus-centered offshoot, MTVU, ceased airing at universities in 2018, and currently airs only as a digital cable channel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n