This December, a signal that marked an entire generation will be turned off. MTV, the channel that turned music into a visual experience, has announced the permanent closure of its channels dedicated exclusively to music videos. MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV, and MTV Live will cease to exist on December 31, 2025, in several countries around the world.
And with that blackout, an era that defined how millions of people discovered, felt, and experienced music comes to an end.
The end of an era
MTV was more than a channel. It was the visual soundtrack of an entire era. For those of us who grew up in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, MTV didn’t just show us songs: it taught us attitude, fashion, rebellion, and culture. It was the place where artists were not only heard, but seen, performed, and felt.
From afternoons in front of the TV waiting for “Smells Like Teen Spirit” or “Like a Prayer” to play, to Sundays spent watching “MTV Unplugged” marathons or the MTV VMAs, the network became the temple of pop culture.
That’s why knowing that MTV is shutting down its music channels hurts like déjà vu of the end of our adolescence. It’s not just a technical change; it’s a symbolic end to the era when television made us discover things before the algorithm did.
According to Paramount Global, the company that owns MTV, the decision is due to a radical change in consumer habits: YouTube, TikTok, and Spotify have taken over the way we listen to and watch music. Today, no one “waits” for their favorite video to come on television; they search for it in seconds and repeat it endlessly.
MTV, on the other hand, was born out of patience: sitting down to see what was playing, discovering without searching.
The decline of music on MTV
Over the years, the channel changed its focus. Reality shows took over: The Real World, Jackass, Laguna Beach, Jersey Shore, Catfish… MTV became a mirror of youth rather than its soundtrack.
And although its audience remained loyal, the musical spirit gradually faded until it was encapsulated in alternative channels such as MTV 80s, MTV 90s, and MTV Live.
Today, those channels are also disappearing.
And although the “main” MTV will survive—now devoted almost entirely to reality shows and entertainment programs—its original essence seems to have been trapped on VHS, in those years when we rushed to record our favorite videos or discover new artists by accident.
Social media reacted as expected: with nostalgia and sarcasm. Users on X (formerly Twitter) wrote phrases such as “RIP MTV, 1981–2025” or “MTV died the day it stopped playing music.” Others recalled that, in its heyday, the channel was culture: it set trends, launched careers, and defined generations.
Now, its silence seems to close a time capsule that many of us did not want to open.
Goodbye, MTV… and thank you for the magic
The shutdown of MTV’s music channels not only marks the end of a signal: it is the end of a generation.
Those of us who grew up watching “Yo! MTV Raps,” “TRL,” “Headbangers Ball,” or the “MTV Unplugged” specials know that what is really being shut down is a way of discovering the world. MTV was the visual encyclopedia of modern music.
Today, algorithms choose for us, but MTV taught us to choose out of curiosity, emotion, and pure passion.
So as the channel bids farewell, we can be sure that its legacy continues to shine through every video, every choreography, every attempt to unite music and visuals.
Because even though the screens may change, the emotion remains the same.