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The 2025 edition of the MTV VMAs will be simulcast on CBS and the streaming service Paramount+. Does this spell the end of the network?
Paramount+ made the 2024 VMAs available to watch the next day, but this is the first year a major network will broadcast the awards show simultaneously. The 2024 VMAs delivered its biggest multi-network audience in four years for a +25% year-over-year gain—so of course CBS is looking to expand the reach beyond a dying network.
While MTV’s original model focused on delivering music videos, the shift toward reality TV and other programming has left the network without its core audience. One could argue that the cancellation of Total Request Live (TRL) in 2008 was the first nail in the coffin on a network that was supposed to deliver music videos to a mass audience.
But the rise of streaming for music discovery hasn’t been kind to old formats like television and radio. Services like YouTube and Spotify have fundamentally altered how young people interact with music videos—Gen Z prefers finding this content online by a wide margin.
In 2023, MTV laid off 25% of its domestic staff and shut down MTV News—yet another nail in the coffin for the network. Viewership on the network remains low, which is likely why CBS is being chosen as the ‘main’ network to broadcast the VMAs with a simulcast on MTV.
The MTV Video Music Awards will air on CBS for the first time, marking the end of their exclusivity on MTV. The September 7 broadcast from 8 to 11 pm ET will also simulcast on MTV—but the built-in audience of CBS is where producers are hoping to snag more viewership. The awards show will be broadcast live from the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. It’s worth noting that the CMT Music Awards also aired on CBS for the first time in 2024—so this move isn’t unprecedented as niche networks no longer draw eyeballs.
Content shared from www.digitalmusicnews.com.