Mtv Germany will air its final music video on January 1, 2026, signaling the end of an era for the iconic music channel. The network intends to focus entirely on reality TV thereafter. Several music-oriented pay-TV channels will also be discontinued.
The decision by Mtv Germany to eliminate music videos from its lineup represents a low point in the channel's history. At the turn of 2025/26, the format "Mtv In The Mix" will air one last time overnight, followed by the final clip in the early hours of January 1. Reality shows will then dominate, as they already largely do.
At the same time, pay-TV channels Mtv Music, Mtv 80s, Mtv 90s, Club Mtv, and Mtv Live, which broadcast music continuously, will cease operations. These changes follow a series of farewells in German music television: Viva Zwei ended in 2002, Viva Plus in 2007, Mtv left free TV in 2011, and Viva shut down in 2018.
Mtv revolutionized music television since its U.S. launch on August 1, 1981, with the first clip "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles. In Europe, it started in 1987, and the German version followed in 1997. The channel competed fiercely with Viva, acquired by Mtv parent Viacom in 2005. Iconic formats like "Mtv Unplugged" and awards such as the Vma or Ema defined its golden age.
The shift began in the early 2000s with the ringtone boom and ads that tarnished its image. Music clips were replaced by reality shows for higher ratings. The last moderated music program, "Top 100," concluded in 2019. Today, under owner Paramount, the schedule feels confusing with U.S. trash TV and cartoons. The 'M' in Mtv once stood for music— from 2026, it will be history.
