MTV to axe its music TV channels in the UK

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Link: MTV to axe its music TV channels in the UK - BBC News

 

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MTV, the world's first 24-hour music broadcaster, is to stop showing rolling pop videos in the UK after almost 40 years when it closes five channels at the end of the year.

 

MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV and MTV Live will all stop broadcasting after 31 December, the BBC understands.

 

However, the flagship channel, MTV HD, will remain on air, showing reality series including Naked Dating UK and Geordie Shore.

 

The move reflects a shift in viewing habits, with music videos largely consumed on YouTube and social media rather than television. A spokesman for MTV's parent company, Paramount, declined to comment.

 

MTV launched in the US in 1981 and the fledgling TV channel quickly captured the public imagination by showing pop videos "on demand", presented by enthusiastic "VJs" (video jockeys), who became almost as famous as the stars they introduced.

 

Groundbreaking moments in its early years included the world premiere of Michael Jackson's Thriller video, a 16-hour broadcast of the Live Aid concerts in 1985, and the birth of the MTV Video Music Awards.

 

A European offshoot launched in 1987 and the UK got its own dedicated channel in 1997 - launching with the video for David Baddiel and Frank Sinner's [sic[ football anthem Three Lions...