Paramount Global has announced a significant restructuring of its international portfolio, confirming plans to discontinue five of the MTV network’s dedicated music channels by the end of 2025, marking the close of a 40-year era for traditional music television.
The channels set to go off-air globally on December 31, 2025, include MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV, and MTV Live. The move is a direct response to a massive shift in audience behavior, as music consumption has largely migrated away from linear television to digital platforms.
​The decision is part of a broader global downsizing effort by Paramount as it grapples with “declining traditional TV viewership.” The media giant is pivoting its focus internationally as music fans overwhelmingly favor streaming services and social media sites like YouTube, Spotify, and TikTok for music discovery.
​The flagship MTV HD channel, however, is expected to continue broadcasting. This channel primarily airs reality programming, such as Geordie Shore and Naked Dating UK, rather than the music videos that initially defined the brand in the 1980s and 1990s.
​The closures affect multiple territories, including the United Kingdom, and are part of a wider withdrawal of Paramount-owned networks across Central and Eastern Europe, where channels like TeenNick and Comedy Central Extra are also being phased out.
​While Paramount Global has not yet issued an official public statement regarding the massive reduction in its music channel offerings, the decision clearly signals the end of the broadcast era that MTV helped define for a generation of music lovers.
