Remember when MTV was the place to go for music discovery? For Millennials (and of course Xers—don’t hurt us Gen X, we know MTV was yours first!),MTV was the place to watch the hottest videos, catch countdown shows like Total Request Live, and see what everyone was listening to that week. It was appointment viewing: music, culture, and trends rolled into one channel, all delivered through cable TV. But those days of cable dominance are long gone. Late last year, MTV shut down its remaining 24-hour music channels as audiences continue to shift toward streaming. Across the U.K. and Europe, channels like MTV Music, MTV 80s, and more went dark and in the U.S., regional music-only MTV channels also disappeared as broadcast deals began to expire. At the core of this shift is a generational change in how younger audiences consume content. Gen Z didn’t grow up with the same reliance on linear programming. Instead, platforms like YouTube have taken the role MTV once played, offering instant access...
2/5/26
The YouTube Effect Trend Report
The YouTube Effect trend report explores just how influential YouTube is in shaping culture, comm...
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