MTV’s dedicated music channels, including MTV Music, MTV 80s, and MTV 90s, ended their 24/7 music broadcasts globally on December 31, 2025, concluding with The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star,” the same video that launched the channel in 1981, marking the end of an era as streaming and on-demand viewing shifted audience habits. While the main MTV channel continues with reality/entertainment, its music-focused era, defined by iconic videos and shows like TRL, finished with this nostalgic sign-off.Key Details:Date: December 31, 2025.Final Video: “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles.Channels Affected: MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV, MTV Live, and others outside the U.S..Reason: A shift from traditional TV to streaming and digital platforms.Legacy: The shutdown signifies the end of linear music television, though the main MTV channel remains focused on entertainment.And the man behind ii all, who dramatically changed the course of the world’s musical entertainment and popular culture was the visionary entrepreneur Robert Pittman.Pittman is the co-founder and programmer who led the team that created MTV. He has been CEO of MTV Networks, AOL Networks, Six Flags Theme Parks, Century 21 Real Estate, Time Warner Enterprises and Clear Channel Outdoor, and was COO of America Online, Inc.His name should rank with Guttenberg, Da Vinci, Galileo, Edison, Tesla, and Newton in his impact upon the world.Pittman’s many honors include: Robert F. Kennedy Memorial’s 2000 “Ripple of Hope Award” for his commitment to civic and community affairs and his contributions to the advancement of education; receiving the Broadcasters Foundation of America’s 2016 ‘Golden Mike Award’; induction into the Advertising Hall of Fame and the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame; received Adweek’s first Media Visionary award in 2013 and Cablevision Magazine’s “20/20 Vision” award for the 20 people who have had the greatest impact on the cable industry; selection as one of Advertising Age’s “10 Marketers Who Changed American Culture” and “50 Pioneers and Visionaries of TV” and recognition as one of Business Week magazine’s Top 25 Executives of 1998. He was also named one of Life magazine’s “Five Original Thinkers of the ’80s”; recognized as the eighth of Life magazine’s “50 Most Influential Boomers”; included in Time magazine’s 1984 Man-of-the-Year issue “Seven Others who Succeeded”; received the “Star of Hope Award” in January 2014 from the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi; was named Success Magazine’s “Pioneer of the New American Start-Up” in 1989; received the 1986 White House Conference on Small Business Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence and the 1984 Council of Fashion Designers of America award; Performance Magazine’s 1982 “Innovator of the Year” award for his work developing MTV and Billboard Magazine’s “Radio Program Manager of the Year” in 1977. In October 2012, he was awarded the Henry A. Grunwald Award for Public Service by Lighthouse International. He also received the American Academy of Achievement’s Golden Plate Award in 1990; International Teleproduction Society’s Lifetime Achievement International Monitor Award and The President’s Award and an Honorary Doctorate from Bank Street College of Education, the school’s highest honor, for his many contributions to the advancement of education.MTV Debut 8/1/81 Opening and 1st Video — Video Killed the Radio StarThe MTV concept launched a cultural revolution, and its unexpected success made Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, J.J. Jackson, and Martha Quinn overnight celebrities as the network’s first VJ’s. Stayed in it’s original format for about 10 years before reality shows dominated it’s programming and killed it for most.The post MTV Music Channels Sign Off Forever with the One that Started it all: ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ appeared first on LewRockwell.