MTV is shutting down its channels across much of Europe and the UK

By creammagazine, October 17, 2025

MTV drowning in oil if its reality tv shows don’t shape up to be good – because this is the area it intends to focus on as it shuts down its music channels around the world.

While we’re all working on hunkering down in the online world – trying to get our bits and bytes together – plenty is a-moving in cable-land, too. MTV, the world-famous cable music channel that landed just as television was reaching its traditionalist peak to show the world how the other half lived, is now stopping its airing across Europe and the UK – choosing instead it seems to leave music up to the big streaming companies, while it focuses on its ‘reality’ TV portfolio instead.

The shutdown will begin in the UK and Ireland, reads a statement from Paramount – MTV’s parent group, with other parts of Europe following soon. It’s not clear whether all MTV music‑video channels (ie: in every European market) will be shut sooner than later, or whether there may be exceptions or delays in certain regions.

This is major news for fans of an old-school style of music video presentation, which would see fantastic music clips rotated and aired – and decades before insta-pick-and-stream channels such as YouTube and Spotify entered the mainstream.

It’s kind of sad, really. Some folks still like to watch telly the old way – myself included but only when it comes to music videos and music docos. But then, that’s what YouTube’s for these days.

Advertisers, too, relied on MTV across the Continent and British Isles to reach eyeballs and sell products and services.

Now, MTV and its sponsors will not be seen in major parts of Europe and the UK for the foreseeable future… Here’s hoping the music channel has enough shares and money in its pockets to save itself if its ‘reality’ equity ever dries up.

Given the relatively fast rate the world is moving towards a surveilled state, the likelihood of ‘reality’-based television and tons of drama to come looks like a definite.

And in an era of CCTV and doorbell cameras, you can bet you’re going to be part of the show eventually, too. But please, nothing boring like the original Big Brother.

MTV will be sorely missed by its European and UK viewers, I’m sure. Just as music video was being popularly mastered in the early 1980s, it was MTV that brought tons of new music, and music video, to avid music listeners (and now watchers). Music video was a blast in the ”80s, and the ’90s, too, saw some great clip rotation on the channel: Oasis, Suede, Robbie Williams, Blur, Massive Attack, Pulp, Garbage, Tori Amos, Foo Fighters – all great bands with great, great clips.

MTV currently streams on Fetch in Australia but it is unknown how long the music channel will last.

One last chance to shake up that VJ panel, perhaps.

Antonino Tati