By Sage Spirk, Contributor 

On October 12, Paramount Global announced that MTV will be shutting down its music channels, including MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV and MTV Live. While this shift will be taking place across Europe, it leaves fans of the network wondering if the United States will be next as a result of the modern streaming era. 

MTV has been a household name and hub for all things music since 1981. The network debuted with the iconic “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles and has boosted the careers of some of today’s most revered artists, like Madonna and Micheal Jackson. It is home to reality TV, live concerts and the Video Music Awards, yet the network’s parent company, Paramount Global, has deemed its music channels obsolete.

Many of MTV’s music channels acted as an archive for pop culture, broadcasting classic and retro videos from the 80s and 90s. However, reports show that there has been a steady decline in viewership with the rise of YouTube and TikTok as primary video platforms, as well as with streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music. This, combined with Paramount Global’s merger with Skydance Media in August, makes it appear that MTV’s shutdown was a cost-cutting strategy that will allow the two companies to reduce expenses and prioritize other entertainment avenues in their $8 billion deal.

As of now, MTV’s main channel remains and will continue to be a vat of reality TV, broadcasting shows like Jersey Shore: Family Vacation and Teen Mom: Family Reunion, which capitalize on the nostalgia of the early to mid-2000s. The United Kingdom and Ireland will be the first countries to lose MTV’s five music channels, with this action following suit across Europe. The global decline in viewership will likely result in the same occurrences in the United States in the future.
This shutdown creates the dilemma of what MTV, Music Television, is without the music. The network’s 40-year catalogue of live performances, throwbacks, awards and music videos is not easily erased, but it is also essential for companies to adapt with cultural changes, such as that of the streaming era. While loyal MTV fanatics are upset to lose such beloved and classic channels, there is promise for new things to come out of the recent merger, as Paramount Global and Skydance Media vow to create and adapt entertainment in light of “today’s evolving technological landscape,” as stated on the Paramount website.