MTV Classic (American TV channel)
MTV Entertainment Group | |
Sister channels | |
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History | |
Launched | August 1, 1998 |
Former names |
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Links | |
Website | www |
Availability | |
AT&T TV, YouTube TV, Vidgo TV, Hulu + Live TV |
Part of a series on |
MTV |
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Programs on MTV |
MTV personalities |
Censorship on MTV |
MTV Generation |
MTV News |
MTV Classic (formerly VH1 Smooth, VH1 Classic Rock, and VH1 Classic) is an American
History
1998–1999: VH1 Smooth
VH1 Smooth launched on August 1, 1998 as a part of the "Suite" digital package, delaying the initial launch date of July 31, 1998.
1999–2016: VH1 Classic
Relaunched on August 1, 1999 as VH1 Classic Rock, the channel primarily featured a mainstream rock/adult hits-formatted mix of music videos and concert footage from the 1960s to the 1980s, though it originally included a wider range of genres and time periods.[5] The channel name was quickly changed to VH1 Classic in 2000.
The network played only music videos upon launch, but quickly expanded to a varied line-up of music-themed programs. This included themed music video compilation blocks (with categories such as
From January 28 until February 15, 2015, VH1 Classic aired a 19-day marathon of NBC's Saturday Night Live in celebration of the series' 40th anniversary.[7][8] As a result, the network broke a previous record for the longest continuous marathon in television history set by FXX's twelve-day marathon of The Simpsons.[9]
2016–present: MTV Classic
In July 2016, Viacom announced that on August 1, the 35th anniversary of the original
Three days leading up to December 30, 2016, MTV Classic aired 24-hour block "Decade-a-thons" consisting of music videos from the 1980s leading up to the 2000s.
As of the end of the year 2016, the channel was the least-watched English-language channel on most American subscription providers, averaging only 30–35,000 viewers on an average night in primetime (a decline of nearly a third from the already-low numbers VH1 Classic had netted in 2015), which was likely a factor in the network quickly abandoning their new format after five months.
Occasionally, the channel will interrupt regular music video programming to air specific music videos in tribute to a recently-deceased musician. In lieu of Tony Bennett's passing on July 21, 2023, MTV Classic exclusively aired Bennett's music videos and live performances for the subsequent weekend, regardless of whatever block was scheduled. Some musicians/performers, such as Steve Harwell of the rock band Smash Mouth, have their music videos played periodically throughout the broadcast day of their passing, mixed into regular programming.
Programming
References
- ^ a b Hay, Carla (July 11, 1998). "MTV, Box Take Steps In Digital Programming" (PDF). Vol. 110, no. 28. pp. 8, 92. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
- ^ "The Suite from MTV and VH1" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. January 26, 1998. p. 54. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
- ^ Carter, Bill (November 25, 1997). "Using New Digital Technology, MTV Adds Specialized Channels". The New York Times. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
- ^ Hay, Carla (August 22, 1998). "MuchMusic Readies Awards, Spinoff Channel; MTV's Suite Set". Vol. 110, no. 34. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 85. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
- ^ Hay, Carla (August 14, 1999). "Launch Debuts 5 Web Channels; VH1 Smooth Now Classic Rock". Vol. 111, no. 33. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 101. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
- ^ "VH1 CLASSIC Will No Longer Produce 'That Metal Show'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. January 19, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
- ^ Steinberg, Brian (January 14, 2015). "VH1 Classic To Run 433-Hour 'Saturday Night Live' Marathon". Variety. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
- ^ Petski, Denise (January 14, 2015). "'Saturday Night Live' Mega-Marathon Set To Air On VH1". Deadline. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
- The Huffington Post. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
- ^ a b Greene, Andy (June 7, 2017). "Flashback: A Random 78 Minutes of MTV From June 1982". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
- ^ "MTV Classic bringing The 2011 Beavis and Butt-Head, Aeon Flux and music videos back on-air". Polygon. Vox Media. July 28, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
- ^ "MTV Launches 'Classic' Channel Dedicated to 1990s". Rolling Stone. July 28, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
- ^ Barton, Chris (December 29, 2016). "A made-for-TV New Year's: From 'Twilight Zone' to James Bond, a rundown of the marathons". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
- ^ Collins, Scott; Maglio, Tony (December 29, 2016). "21 Least-Watched Cable Channels, From MTV Classic to Sprout". TheWrap. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
- Advertising Age. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
- TVNewser. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ^ Katz, AJ (July 25, 2017). "MSNBC Wins Weeknights Across the Board; Fox News is Most-Watched For Full Calendar Week | TVNewser". Adweek. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
- ^ Schneider, Michael (December 28, 2017). "Highest Network Ratings of 2017: Most Watched Winners & Losers". IndieWire. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^ "Most-Watched Television Networks: Ranking 2018's Winners and Losers". December 27, 2018.
- ^ Schnieder, Michael (December 26, 2019). "Most-Watched Television Networks: Ranking 2019's Winners and Losers". Variety. Retrieved December 31, 2019.