Is MTV Really Shutting Down? Fans Are Confused About What’s Actually Happening
There is a lot of confusion over whether MTV is shutting down for good on December 31, and the answer is… sort of… but not really.
The flagship channel will still exist when you wake up in January 1, 2026, but there will be some notable deletions in the number of MTV music-only stations in the U.K., Australia, Poland, France, and Brazil. This cost-saving move was announced in October as a part of Paramount’s merger with Skydance. According to the BBC, MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV, and MTV Live will cease operations on December 31. Per Rolling Stone, it’s unclear is these channels will continue to run in the U.S.
The closures are already happening in some parts of Europe as TV Music News UK on X shared screenshots the darkened channels. “The European-exclusive MTV music channels, plus NickMusic, have also closed down,” they wrote on December 31. These were the “last holdouts for continuous music video programming,” another account noted.
Still, the message has not gotten across to all fans, with many of them posting RIP shots of MTV. “MTV had two great decades, the 80s and 90s RIP to my childhood,” wrote one X user. Another person added a more personal story, writing, “Iconic run. My first internship was @MTV. Grateful for the opportunity to learn so much in a hands-on environment. I was there for Jersey Shore and cut my teeth at the VMAs. Met some amazing friends and colleagues, saw epic moments.”
Viewers will still be able to see the network’s reality and award shows, including The Challenge, Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, and the MTV VMAs. There’s also hope that MTV will see a renaissance under its new Paramount Skydance banner.
The Wall Street Journal revealed in September that Paramount Skydance head David Ellison was hoping to revive MTV into a competitor to Spotify or YouTube. If MTV goes back to its music roots, it would be a welcome relief to many fans who were tired of the channel’s turn toward unscripted content. The network premiered on August 1, 1981.
Just remember, MTV is still around, just in a smaller size for 2026.
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