History Creator / MTV

In TheNineties, MTV started bringing hip-hop acts into regular rotation, and the {{grunge}} and AlternativeRock that had been popularized on ''120 Minutes'' started displacing HairMetal. Later in the decade, MTV was instrumental in the rise of BoyBand[=s=], GirlGroup[=s=], and IdolSinger[=s=] like Music/BritneySpears, Music/ChristinaAguilera, Music/{{TLC}}, Music/DestinysChild, the Music/BackstreetBoys, and Music/{{NSYNC}}, which themselves partly displaced rock music. Grunge pressed on into PostGrunge, with Music/{{Nickelback}} and Music/{{Creed}} leading the way, and NuMetal bands like Music/LinkinPark, Music/{{Korn}}, and Music/{{Slipknot}} emerged to bring a harder sound into the mainstream -- and act as [[GatewaySeries Gateway Music]] to a whole generation of metalheads [[OldShame no matter how loath]] they are to admit it. The music videos became more professional, having evolved from marketing tools to encourage album sales into the main attraction; price tags of over a million dollars for short films just three or four minutes long were not unheard of. ''Total Request Live'', or ''TRL'', a program where viewers got to call in and vote for their favorite music videos to air, became a sensation, turning host Creator/CarsonDaly into a celebrity in his own right. It was with the launch of this show that MTV opened its famous studio in [[BigApplesauce Times Square]].

The TurnOfTheMillennium was when the NetworkDecay that had been setting in at MTV for the last decade really began to take over. Carson Daly's departure from ''TRL'' in 2003 set that show on a slow decline, finally being cancelled in 2008 (before it was revived again in 2017). Non-music-related shows took over the schedule, pushing music videos into the late night and early morning hours. Most importantly, the rise of online sources such as [=YouTube=], iTunes, Pandora, Spotify and even MTV's own [[http://www.mtvhive.com/ MTV Music]] meant that people no longer needed to watch MTV to get their music video fix, which led to MTV diverting even more hours away from music programming. One could say that [[MeaningfulEcho the internet killed the video star]]. Indeed, The Limousines [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx5tSmOY_iM say so]]. In 2010, the network officially dropped the "Music Television" subtitle.

* MTV Hits: a spinoff that shows music videos exclusively, mostly pop artists.

The TurnOfTheMillennium was when the NetworkDecay that had been setting in at MTV for the last decade really began to take over. Carson Daly's departure from ''TRL'' in 2003 set that show on a slow decline, finally being cancelled in 2008 (before it was revived again in 2017). Non-music-related shows took over the schedule, pushing music videos into the late night and early morning hours. Most importantly, the rise of online sources such as [=YouTube=], iTunes, Pandora, Spotify and now MTV's own [[http://www.mtvhive.com/ MTV Music]] meant that people no longer needed to watch MTV to get their music video fix, which led to MTV diverting even more hours away from music programming. One could say that [[MeaningfulEcho the internet killed the video star]]. Indeed, The Limousines [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx5tSmOY_iM say so]]. In 2010, the network officially dropped the "Music Television" subtitle.

A notable failure during this time was the network's coverage of the Live 8 Benefit Concert in 2005; Cameras would frequently interrupt performances midway to cut back to the presenters, many of which whom would get the title of the event confused and make them look ignorant (hosts alternated between [[UsefulNotes/LiveAid Live Aid]], Live 8, or [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs Live Aid 8]]). This went from annoying to unacceptable when they did this halfway through a re-united Music/PinkFloyd playing "Comfortably Numb", [[GrandFinale the last time the band would play together live]]. MTV was flooded with so many complaints they agreed to re-air the entire concert unedited without presenters, but the damage was done.

Today, the main MTV network has all but abandoned playing music outside of special occasions like the Video Music Awards.[[note]] As of December 5, 2016, the network no longer airs music video blocks, with videos now being seen during commercial breaks, video premieres, and special occasions; For instance, the death of Music/{{Prince}} in April 2016 saw the channel pre-empt its afternoon programming to devote several hours worth of airtime to playing his videos.[[/note]] Even [=MTV2=], which used to play only a few hours of music a day in the early morning hours, eventually dropped its video blocks in November 2017. Despite music videos being the first to film consistently in the format, they didn't even air any videos in UsefulNotes/HighDefinition until '''August 2012''', long after rival network Fuse (which was created partly in response to MTV's decay) had converted to HD.

The kids of the "MTV Generation" have grown up to have kids of their own, the network's popularity amongst music fans has faded a great deal since its heyday in the '80s and '90s, and the current erosion of cable ratings across the television landscape doesn't help the network's case either. It was enough, however, to inspire numerous attempts to restore music programming on MTV since 2016, including the long-awaited return of ''TRL'' in 2017. Parent company [[Creator/ViacomCBS ViacomCBS]]' 2017 restructuring plan saw MTV turn to both live and unscripted programming to restore the network's prominence. With Viacom's purchase of streaming service Creator/PlutoTV in 2019, MTV-branded channels with MTV archive programming, as well as (gasp!) ''music video channels''.

* Creator/VH1: Initially focused on older adults, then as a more video-oriented MTV, and then, most (in)famously, as a home for slightly less shallow nostalgia-based programming. Today, [=VH1=] is essentially an african american-centric general entertainment channel.

* Creator/VH1: Initially focused on older adults, then as a more video-oriented MTV, and then, most (in)famously, as a home for slightly less shallow nostalgia-based programming. Today, [=VH1=] is essentially a women-centric general entertainment channel.

Like any new trend in popular culture, it wouldn't be long before MTV was hit with its first criticism. In its early years, it was targeted for not playing many black artists, and Music/DavidBowie criticized the network [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZGiVzIr8Qg during a live 1983 interview]] for not playing such videos. That eventually ended once Music/MichaelJackson and Music/{{Prince}} became superstars. Later, in 1985, the HardcorePunk band Music/DeadKennedys released their classic "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oCPNMZuWwI MTV Get Off the Air]]," attacking the young network for devaluing the importance of music and for being a corporate shill. Feminists criticized videos the channel aired for [[MaleGaze their sexualized depiction of women]]. From the other direction, MTV's also long been a favorite whipping boy for conservative MoralGuardians, who have long felt it to be a den of {{filth}}, dangerous behavior, left-wing activism, and {{political correctness|GoneMad}}. Of course, [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity none of this did anything to hurt the network's popularity]] -- famously, UsefulNotes/BillClinton's appearances on MTV provided a huge boost to his youth support during his Presidential campaign in 1992.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mtv_8.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Current logo]]

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mtv_color_logo.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:[[Music/DireStraits I want my, I want my, I want my MTV!]]]]

The kids of the "MTV Generation" have grown up to have kids of their own, the network's popularity amongst music fans has faded a great deal since its heyday in the '80s and '90s, and the current erosion of cable ratings across the television landscape doesn't help the network's case either. It was enough, however, to inspire numerous attempts to restore music programming on MTV since 2016, including the long-awaited return of ''TRL'' in 2017. Parent company [[Creator/{{Viacom}} ViacomCBS]]' 2017 restructuring plan saw MTV turn to both live and unscripted programming to restore the network's prominence. With Viacom's purchase of streaming service Creator/PlutoTV in 2019, MTV-branded channels with MTV archive programming, as well as (gasp!) ''music video channels''.

-->--The very first lines ever spoken on MTV.

The kids of the "MTV Generation" have grown up to have kids of their own, the network's popularity amongst music fans has faded a great deal since its heyday in the '80s and '90s, and the current erosion of cable ratings across the television landscape doesn't help the network's case either. It was enough, however, to inspire numerous attempts to restore music programming on MTV since 2016, including the long-awaited return of ''TRL'' in 2017. Parent company [[Creator/{{Viacom}} ViacomCBS]]' 2017 restructuring plan saw MTV turn to both live and unscripted programming to restore the network's prominence.

One unexpected result of MTV's success was the rise of [[UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} British]] pop and rock groups in UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates. Music videos had caught on in Britain back in [[TheSeventies the mid '70s]] thanks to shows like ''Series/TopOfThePops'', giving that country a much higher music video output than the US in MTV's formative years. Most American videos in the early '80s, by contrast, were videotaped concert performances. As MTV was desperate for any music videos it could get its hands on, it threw many of those British vids on the air to fill airtime, leading to what has been called a second [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishInvasion British Invasion]] as bands saw themselves developing [[{{Squee}} screaming]] [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff American fanbases]] virtually overnight.

Like any new trend in popular culture, it wouldn't be long before MTV was hit with its first criticism. In its early years, it was targeted for not playing many black artists, although that quickly ended once Music/MichaelJackson became a superstar. Later, in 1985, the HardcorePunk band Music/DeadKennedys released their classic "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oCPNMZuWwI MTV Get Off the Air]]," attacking the young network for devaluing the importance of music and for being a corporate shill. Feminists criticized videos the channel aired for [[MaleGaze their sexualized depiction of women]]. From the other direction, MTV's also long been a favorite whipping boy for conservative MoralGuardians, who have long felt it to be a den of {{filth}}, dangerous behavior, left-wing activism, and {{political correctness|GoneMad}}. Of course, [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity none of this did anything to hurt the network's popularity]] -- famously, UsefulNotes/BillClinton's appearances on MTV provided a huge boost to his youth support during his Presidential campaign in 1992.

->''"I want my MTV!"''
-->--'''Music/DireStraits''', "Money for Nothing."[[note]]The phrase originated with an ad campaign designed to get cable providers to carry the network in its infancy, but took off as a MemeticMutation all its own.[[/note]]

The kids of the "MTV Generation" have grown up to have kids of their own, the network's popularity amongst music fans has faded a great deal since its heyday in the '80s and '90s, and the current erosion of cable ratings across the television landscape doesn't help the network's case either. It was enough, however, to inspire numerous attempts to restore music programming on MTV since 2016, including the long-awaited return of ''TRL''. While parent company Viacom's 2017 restructuring plan will see MTV turn to both live and unscripted programming to restore the network's prominence, there are still many music fans that hold out to this day for a way that the "M" in MTV can become meaningful again. At the least, Viacom's buyout of the free streaming service Creator/PlutoTV in 2018 meant that several MTV-branded channels-- including ones that play music videos-- have been added to its' lineup.

Regardless of what happens, to deny that MTV has fundamentally shaped popular culture into what it is now would be impossible.

See also Creator/MuchMusic, Canada's equivalent (barring the actual MTV Canada, which it is now a sister network of) which went down the same NetworkDecay route MTV did (and Fuse for that matter-- Fuse itself was originally the American feed of [=MuchMusic=]).

The kids of the "MTV Generation" have grown up to have kids of their own, the network's popularity amongst music fans has faded a great deal since its heyday in the '80s and '90s, and the current erosion of cable ratings across the television landscape doesn't help the network's case either. It was enough, however, to inspire numerous attempts to restore music programming on MTV since 2016, including the long-awaited return of ''TRL''. While parent company Viacom's 2017 restructuring plan will see MTV turn to both live and unscripted programming to restore the network's prominence, there are still many music fans that hold out to this day for a way that the "M" in MTV can become meaningful again.

On August 1, 1981, at 12:01 AM, pop culture was changed forever by a new cable network that introduced a brand new idea -- a TV channel that played [[MusicVideoTropes music videos]], 24/7. That network was MTV. Fittingly, the first video they ever showed was [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ffoTMBlAOA "Video Killed the Radio Star"]] by Music/TheBuggles.

A notable failure during this time was the network's coverage of the Live 8 Benefit Concert in 2005; Cameras would frequently interrupt performances midway to cut back to the presenters, many of which whom would get the title of the event confused and make them look ignorant (hosts alternated between [[UsefulNotes/LiveAid Live Aid]], Live 8, or [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs Live Aid 8]]). This went from annoying to unacceptable when they did this halfway through a re-united Music/PinkFloyd playing "Comfortably Numb", [[GrandFinale the last time the band would play together]]. MTV was flooded with so many complaints they agreed to re-air the entire concert unedited without presenters, but the damage was done.

At the same time, a new focus was placed on pop culture in general rather than just music, following the success of non-music shows like ''Series/RemoteControl'' (MTV's first non-video program, a game show revolving around inane TV factoids), ''Series/TheRealWorld'', ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'', and others. MTV still played a lot of music, just not as much as it used to. MTV became home to a variety of offbeat original live-action and animated programs, most notably the anthology program ''WesternAnimation/LiquidTelevision'' that [[MorePopularSpinoff spawned]] a number of MTV's best-remembered non-music programs from the '90s, including ''WesternAnimation/AeonFlux'', ''WesternAnimation/TheHead'', and the aforementioned ''B&B''. Other shows from this era include the SketchComedy show ''Series/TheState'', the BloodyHilarious {{claymation}} show ''WesternAnimation/CelebrityDeathmatch'', and the ''B&B'' {{spinoff}} ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}''. ''TRL'' itself quickly became more focused on the Times Square studio antics than the music videos, which would in many cases only get ''30 seconds'' of airtime. Nevertheless, for many Gen-Xers and millennials, the argument over whether the '80s or the '90s was MTV's GoldenAge can be a heated one, and boils down largely to whether one prefers the purely music-driven format of the '80s or the edgy, countercultural non-music shows of the '90s. In any event, in 1996 MTV created a sister network, initially known as [=M2=] but later known as [=MTV2=], that would be dedicated entirely to music to answer concerns over the main network's shift in programming.

At the same time, a new focus was placed on pop culture in general rather than just music, following the success of non-music shows like ''Series/RemoteControl'' (MTV's first non-video program, a game show revolving around inane TV factoids), ''Series/TheRealWorld'', ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'', and others. MTV still played a lot of music, just not as much as it used to. MTV became home to a variety of offbeat original live-action and animated programs, most notably the anthology program ''WesternAnimation/LiquidTelevision'' that [[MorePopularSpinoff spawned]] a number of MTV's best-remembered non-music programs from the '90s, including ''WesternAnimation/AeonFlux'', ''WesternAnimation/TheHead'', and the aforementioned ''B&B''. Other shows from this era include the SketchComedy show ''Series/TheState'', the BloodyHilarious {{claymation}} show ''WesternAnimation/CelebrityDeathmatch'', and the ''B&B'' {{spinoff}} ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}''. ''TRL'' itself quickly became more focused on the Times Square studio antics than the music videos, which would in many cases only get ''30 seconds'' of airtime. Nevertheless, for many Gen-Xers and millennials, the argument over whether the '80s or the '90s was MTV's GoldenAge can be a heated one, and boils down largely to whether one prefers the purely music-driven format of the '80s or the edgy, countercultural non-music shows of the '90s. In any event, in 1996 MTV created a sister network, initially known as [=M2=] but later known as [=MTV2=], that would be dedicated entirely to music to answer concerns over the main network's shift in programming.

Like any new trend in popular culture, it wouldn't be long before MTV was hit with its first criticism. In its early years, it was targeted for not playing many black artists, although that quickly ended once Music/MichaelJackson became a superstar. Later, in 1985, the HardcorePunk band Music/DeadKennedys released their classic "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oCPNMZuWwI MTV Get Off the Air]]," attacking the young network for devaluing the importance of music and for being a corporate shill. From the other direction, MTV's also long been a favorite whipping boy for conservative MoralGuardians, who have long felt it to be a den of {{filth}}, dangerous behavior, left-wing activism, and {{political correctness|GoneMad}}. From the left, feminists criticized videos the channel aired for [[MaleGaze their depiction of women]]. Of course, [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity none of this did anything to hurt the network's popularity]] -- famously, UsefulNotes/BillClinton's appearances on MTV provided a huge boost to his youth support during his Presidential campaign in 1992.

Series that have aired on MTV:

In addition to MTV's sister networks, Viacom owns simular networks. These include (for the U.S at least)

** VH1 Soul: A channel mostly devoted to soul, R&B and funk music. The channel re-aligned itself with BET on December 28, 2015.

In addition to MTV's sister networks, Viacom owns other ([[NetworkDecay former]]) music networks. These include (for the U.S at least)

** [=MTVu=]: A channel that showcases [[AlternativeIndie indie rock]], PopPunk and hip-hop music videos and was usually seen on college campuses (with a few cable homes here and there.)
** MTV Live: An HD channel providing high quality music content. Originally known as Music: High Definition from 2006-2008, and later Palladia from 2008-2016. It is not to be confused with either the original American show (one of the precursors to ''TRL'') or [[Series/MTVLive the Canadian show]] of the same name.
** MTV Classic: Originally a throwback channel that featured older MTV programming and music videos, both primarily from the 1990s, but is now dedicated solely to the latter. Before 2016, it was Creator/VH1 Classic, which focused on older music (and occasionally new music from classic artists) primarily from the 1970s and 1980s.
* Creator/{{BET}} Jams: Same as MTV Hits and U, but focusing on Urban-genre music. It replaced the rock-oriented MTVX and later became a BET-branded channel on October 5, 2015.
** BET Soul: A channel mostly devoted to soul, R&B and funk music. Originally a spinoff of VH-1, the channel re-aligned itself with BET on December 28, 2015.

* Creator/{{CMT}}: Acquired from Creator/{{Viacom}}, initially a CountryMusic only network. CMT has also decayed, but not to the same extent as its sister channels.
** CMT Music: A channel that focused on country music videos, launched as CMT Pure Country in Memorial Day 2006 and now rebranded as CMT Music in January 4, 2016

Other sister channels include:
* Creator/ComedyCentral: Became part of MTV Networks after Time Warner sold their stake in the channel in 2003.
* Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} and Creator/NickAtNite
** TV Land: Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite
** [=NickMusic=]: Originally MTV Hits; a spinoff that shows music videos exclusively, mostly pop artists.
* Creator/SpikeTV: Was the Nashville Network when CBS acquired it, became the National Network to prevent overlap with CMT, relaunched as Spike TV after a lawsuit involving Creator/SpikeLee was settled, and is now known as Creator/ParamountNetwork.

In addition, Viacom is majorly held by National Amusements, a theatre chain operator and holding company for the Redstone family that also controls CBS Corporation, which owns, of course, [[Creator/{{CBS}} The Eye]]. It also has interests in Creator/TheCW, Creator/{{Showtime}}, and Pop, formerly [[Magazine/TVGuide TVGN]]. In fact Viacom and CBS originally merged in 2000, only to split five years later. [[Creator/{{Viacom}} But that's another story]].

The kids of the "MTV Generation" have grown up to have kids of their own, the network's popularity amongst music fans has faded a great deal since its heyday in the '80s and '90s, and the current erosion of cable ratings across the television landscape doesn't help the network's case either. All of this was enough, however, to inspire numerous attempts to restore music programming on MTV since 2016, including the long-awaited return of ''TRL''. While parent company Viacom's 2017 restructuring plan will see MTV turn to live programming (hence the return of ''TRL'') and unscripted programming to restore the network's prominence, there are still many music fans that hold out for a way that the "M" in MTV can become meaningful again.

The results were fantastic. In TheEighties, MTV was the iTunes, Website/YouTube, ''and'' Pandora of the day, a revolution in pop culture and how music was enjoyed. Countless bands and artists (Music/{{Madonna}}, Music/MichaelJackson, Music/DuranDuran, Music/RickAstley, and just about every HairMetal band) saw their careers [[ColbertBump launched or furthered]] because of the heavy video rotation of some of their songs. If they were popular in the '80s, they were on MTV. Later in the decade, the network would also receive acclaim for devoting time to bands that played what was then called "[[CollegeRadio college rock]]" (now known as AlternativeRock) on their ''120 Minutes'' series, as well as HeavyMetal on ''Series/HeadbangersBall'' and [[HipHop hip-hop/rap]] on ''Yo! MTV Raps''. While image, style, and appearance were important parts of the music world long before MTV (just look at Music/DavidBowie, Music/TheBeatles, or even Music/ElvisPresley,) the network's rise elevated those things into an art form almost on par with the music itself.

* Creator/ComedyCentral