MTV

MTV is an American cable television channel that began on August 1, 1981. Originally, it was called "Music Television" and focused on showing music videos. These videos were hosted by friendly television personalities called video jockeys, or VJs. In the early days, MTV became very popular and helped music videos become a big part of television.

Over time, MTV changed its focus. Instead of just music videos, it started making its own reality shows for teenagers and young adults. Even with these changes, MTV stayed a well-known channel. As of November 2023, it reached about 67 million households in the United States, which is fewer than the 99 million it had in 2011.

History

Main article: History of MTV

MTV started on August 1, 1981, at 12:01 a.m. It was owned by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment. The very first video they showed was "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles. In 1984, MTV and another channel called Nickelodeon became part of a new company named MTV Networks, which is now called Paramount Media Networks. Over time, the ownership of MTV changed a few times, finally ending up under Paramount Skydance after an agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery.

Programming

See also: List of programs broadcast by MTV

As MTV grew, it showed more than just music videos and programs led by hosts. The channel began to include many different types of shows for teenagers and young adults. MTV also made its own movies and showed films from other companies.

Video Music Awards

In 1984, MTV held its first big award show called the MTV Video Music Awards. The first show featured a famous performance by Madonna. These awards became one of MTV's most popular events every year.

Special, annual events

Further information: List of MTV special events

MTV started covering Spring Break in 1986, broadcasting live from Daytona Beach, Florida, for a week each March. They also held many summer events from beach houses in different places. These events included special weeks focused on new music and live concerts.

Each year, MTV broadcast live from Times Square in New York City on New Year's Eve, featuring live music performances and interviews.

Live concert broadcasts

MTV has shown many live concerts to help raise money for important causes. In 1985, they broadcast the Live Aid concerts to support people in need in Ethiopia. Later, they also showed the Live 8 concerts to support global aid efforts.

Logo and branding

MTV's logo was created in 1981 by a design team in Manhattan. The logo features large block letters with an "M" and the words "TV" next to it. At first, the "M" was yellow and the "TV" was red, but the colors often changed to match different styles and themes.

When MTV first started on August 1, 1981, it used a special introduction showing the moon landing. This introduction was shown many times each day until 1986.

In the 2000s, MTV changed its look several times. By 2010, the logo was simplified to focus more on images filling the letters. In 2015, MTV tried a new style inspired by online art trends. By 2021, the logo returned to a simpler design with bright colors.

"I Want My MTV!"

In 1982, MTV started a famous campaign with the slogan "I Want My MTV!" Popular musicians appeared in ads urging viewers to ask their cable companies to carry MTV. The slogan became very well-known and was even used in a song by Sting.

Main article: I Want My MTV!

Influence and controversies

MTV has often faced criticism for its programming choices and their effects on young viewers. Some people have concerns about how MTV presents social issues, political topics, and sensitive subjects. Critics have also pointed out that MTV’s early focus on rock music led to fewer videos from black artists being shown. Over time, MTV has worked to include more diverse music, but these early mistakes left a lasting impact.

The channel has also been involved in various debates about content. Some groups have asked MTV to change or remove certain shows and videos that they felt were inappropriate. These discussions have led MTV to adjust its policies and the way it presents certain types of content to better suit its audience.

Social activism

MTV has a long history of encouraging young people to get involved in important social, political, and environmental issues. They created several programs to help with this, such as Choose or Lose, which encouraged people to vote in elections, and Fight For Your Rights, which focused on stopping unfair treatment and violence.

MTV also started think MTV and later MTV Act and Power of 12 to continue this work. In 2012, they launched MTV Act to talk about many social issues, and Power of 12 to encourage voting in the 2012 US presidential election. In 2016, they continued with Elect This to discuss the 2016 election and help young people understand the issues. In 2020, MTV helped start Vote Early Day to encourage young voters to make their voices heard.

Beyond MTV

Since it began in 1981, MTV has grown to include many different channels and online services. In the United States, MTV has several sister channels. One of the first was VH1, which started in 1985 and plays music videos and entertainment shows. Another is CMT, which focuses on music from the Southern U.S.

MTV also created channels like MTV2 and MTV Tr3́s for different audiences. Over the years, MTV added more channels such as MTV HD for high-definition videos and MTV Live for music programming.

In the late 1980s, MTV started using the internet. By 1993, MTV had its own website, MTV.com, which became a place for music videos, news, and shows. MTV tried new ways to show videos online but later returned to a simpler website design. Today, MTV.com directs visitors to streaming services like Paramount+ and Pluto TV. The site also offers news, podcasts, and ways to watch MTV shows on different devices.

Termination of music programming

MTV stopped its music shows in many countries on December 31, 2025. Channels like MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV, and MTV Live ceased broadcasting. This change was first announced by Paramount on October 10, 2025. The final song played on MTV in the UK was "Video Killed The Radio Star", the same song that started their broadcasts in 1981.

In North America, MTV was not affected by this change at the time. As of February 2026, MTV still shows music videos in a few places: the United States (for one hour each week), Japan, Israel, Taiwan, and India. Instead of music, many MTV channels now show reality series like Dating Naked UK, Teen Mom, and Geordie Shore.