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Paramount Skydance Ends MTV’s International Music Channels as 2026 Begins

Streaming-era viewing habits made linear music TV untenable.

Overview

  • International music specialty channels, including MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV, MTV Live and several Pluto TV music feeds, were taken off air at year-end.
  • From Jan. 1, 2026, MTV’s remaining feeds drop regular music-video blocks in favor of reality and entertainment programming.
  • Paramount cites collapsing linear viewership and competition from YouTube and TikTok as reasons for ending the music-TV model.
  • The company has trimmed more than $500 million from linear TV since mid-2024, closed studios and is redirecting investment to Paramount+.
  • In Germany, the final curated block aired early Dec. 31, ending with Kraftwerk’s “Musique non stop”; a U.S. MTV HD channel continues with a reality focus.