FACT CHECK: Has MTV Shut Down? Amid 80s Nostalgia, Netizens Are Divided - 'They Stopped Playing Actual Music'

MTV

has shut down? Social media is abuzz with netizens' nostalgic post around the iconic music channel of the 1980-90s, ending its television legacy in Europe. Reports claimed it ended its final broadcast, the same way it started, that is with the clip Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles on New Year's Eve. While emotional reactions continues to pour in about how MTV was a part of the growing up years of the millenials, there soon came a catch! The news that MTV stopped the broadcast of its 5 channels in Europe, including MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV, and MTV Live was not exactly how it got perceived. The channel is still alive.

Has MTV shut down?

On January 1, 2026, several publications reported that MTV is gone. Starting in UK and Ireland, the closure was to follow in France, Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Brazil and Australia. However, some social media users pointed that it's not true. Infact on the New Year, the channel was reportedly playing back-to-back episodes of The Big Bang Theory.So where did it all go wrong?

Fact check behind MTV's closure

According to Variety, the confusion happened due to a misinformation. It reports that MTV's parent company, Paramount Skydance did close several MTV-branded music channels in the UK, but with a contradiction. "MTV’s specialist music channels in the UK will no longer operate as linear channels. The flagship MTV UK channel will continue to broadcast… Paramount is reviewing and adjusting its international Pay TV portfolio, given shifts in audience behavior towards streaming and digital platforms," a source claimed.The report further stated that in the US, the existing MTV channels will continue their broadcast without any change. wo of these are MTV and MTV2.

Music left MTV long time ago

Point to note is, MTV seized to be a music-only channel several years ago. The network however still program some digital music channels in the US including MTV Classic, MTV Live, and a collection of MTV-branded FAST channels. But in recent years, MTV has shifted gears on reality programming like The Challenge and RuPaul’s Drag Race.