No, the rumors aren’t true. MTV did not go off the air for the final time on New Year’s Eve 2025. What actually happened? Paramount shut down a group of music-only channels that operated in the UK and Australia. Those channels were MTV Music, MTV ’80s, MTV ’90s, MTV Live, and Club MTV.
Those channels are gone, yes. But the MTV that you grew up watching and loving? It’s still there… sort of. Across the globe, including in the United States, the original MTV channel is on the air right now. And in the United States, cable providers still offer both MTV Classic and MTV Live. Both those 5 niche-based channels mentioned above are gone for good.
Sadly, the internet decided to take what was already a sad situation (the state of MTV) and make it even sadder by saying something even worse actually happened. That’s classic internet, if we’re being honest.
No, MTV Didn’t Exactly Shut Down—But It’s Complicated
Let’s be honest, MTV itself is a shell of its former self. They abandoned the concept of music long ago—outside of its annual perfunctory Video Music Awards show, which itself has lost its luster and whatever prestige it once held. The “M” in “MTV” still stands for music, even though music is almost entirely gone from all MTV properties.
With parent company Paramount having shut down some (but not all) of MTV’s 24/7 music channels, particularly in the UK and Australia, the now antiquated dream of MTV is one step closer to the grave. Luckily, for anyone who misses (or missed) this golden era of pop culture, one web designer decided to bring it back to its full glory.
Relive MTV’s Glory Days With This New Website
Inspired by the loss of these 24/7 channels, a web developer who goes by the name Flexasaurus Rex decided to build MTV Rewind, a website that resurrects the experience of watching classic MTV.
This version is a streaming service you can access through your browser. It’s totally free, but Flexasaurus Rex does accept tips on BuyMeACoffee.com to help keep it all running.
Created in about 48 hours, the site offers 11 always-on channels that feel like time capsules from the cable era. There’s a feed that recreates MTV’s very first day in 1981, dedicated channels for MTV Unplugged, Yo! MTV Raps, MTV’s metal-centric block of programming, Headbanger’s Ball, and 120 Minutes, a block of music dedicated to showcasing alternative rock groups.
The site pulls from a library of more than 33,000 music videos, which roughly totals just over two months of nonstop playback. Each channel is randomized, with seemingly one exception—the channel that re-creates the first day of MTV’s existence. In my experience so far, it always begins the way the network itself did by playing “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles.
It’s even got era-appropriate ads sprinkled throughout, heightening the illusion of watching a specific channel in a specific era in real time. Pretty neat.
MTV Rewind is powered by the Internet Music Video Database, with videos streamed from YouTube, which is ironic, considering that YouTube helped put these 24/7 music channels out of business.
The site has no official affiliation with MTV or Paramount, and it absolutely uses the MTV name, which could get it into some legal trouble at some point. I guess this will be a good litmus test to find out just how d—kish Paramount’s new leadership is.
It’s a fun project that’s great to have on in the background as you work. But more than that, it’s proof that websites, and the creativity people once displayed with them, are not dead. It’s heartwarming to see someone make a really cool website, as they used to do that not that long ago.
You know, before a handful of social media sites gobbled up all our creativity and engagement. Let’s all make more cool websites in 2026!
The post Did MTV Really Shut Down? Here’s What Actually Happened. appeared first on VICE.
