&sq=&lang=&file=File:MTV_Classic_2021.svg) Final logo, used from 2021 to 2022 | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | United Kingdom, Ireland |
| Network | MTV UK |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 16:9 576i SDTV |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Paramount Networks UK & Australia |
| Sister channels | MTV MTV Base MTV Hits MTV Music MTV Live |
| History | |
| Launched | 1 July 1999 |
| Replaced | VH1 (Virgin Media UK) |
| Closed | 31 March 2022 |
| Replaced by | MTV 80s |
| Former names | VH1 Classic (1999–2010) |
MTV Classic was a British pay television music channel from Paramount Networks UK & Australia. The channel was launched in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 1 July 1999 as VH1 Classic.[1]
It focused on music videos and music specials from the 1960s onwards, sometimes featuring music videos and concert footage from as early as at least the 1940s or 1950s, such as Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" from 1942. It also aired videos from the 2000s and early 2010s. Every November and December from 2013 until 2021, MTV Classic played Christmas-themed music branded as MTV Xmas.
"Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles, the first video to air on the original MTV in 1981, was also the first music video to be played when the channel was rebranded as MTV Classic on 1 March 2010.
- ^ "MTV Announce Channel Changes". Entertainment Focus. 1 March 2010. Archived from the original on 10 July 2011.