How MTV taught the world to watch music, then signed off

As the clock edged towards midnight on December 31, 2025, MTV Music signed off in a way that felt almost scripted by history itself.

The final image on screen was not a flashy montage or a celebrity farewell, but the same music video that launched the channel more than four decades earlier: Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles.

With that single choice, MTV turned its own ending into a mirror of its beginning a rare, poetic loop in television history.

The decision to close with Video Killed the Radio Star was no coincidence. When MTV first went on air on August 1, 1981, the song symbolised a cultural shift, music was no longer just something you heard; it was something you watched.

In 2025, playing it again as the final broadcast quietly acknowledged another transition: the era MTV helped create had finally outgrown it.

The lyrics, once futuristic and playful, now sounded almost self-referential. Technology had moved on again, and this time, MTV was the one being left behind.

When MTV launched, Video Killed the Radio Star felt prophetic. Written by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes, and Bruce Woolley, the 1979 synth-pop hit topped charts across 16 countries and captured anxieties about media change long before streaming and social platforms existed.

MTV didn’t just play music videos; it reshaped pop culture. It launched careers, dictated fashion trends, and turned musicians into visual icons.

Songs became experiences, premieres became events, and youth culture found a global meeting point on one channel.

What makes MTV’s ending especially striking is the irony embedded in the song it chose. Video Killed the Radio Star was about one medium replacing another.

In 1981, MTV represented the future. In 2025, it quietly acknowledged that it was no longer at the centre of that future.

Streaming platforms, social media, and short-form video have replaced scheduled programming. Audiences no longer wait for countdowns or premieres algorithms decide what plays next. MTV didn’t fail overnight; it became less necessary.

While the sign-off was symbolic, the reasons behind it were practical. MTV’s parent company, Paramount Global, confirmed it would shut down its dedicated music channels by the end of 2025 as part of broader cost-cutting measures.

Earlier in the year, several long-running awards shows, including the MTV Europe Music Awards and MTV Latin America’s MIAW Awards, were also scrapped.

The main MTV brand will continue, but the era of 24-hour music television has officially ended.