MTV UK
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MTV UK and Ireland is a version of MTV Europe which serves the United Kingdom and Ireland. It started in 1997 alongside MTV Central as MTV Europe began regionally diversifying. The channel was originally broadcast in analogue from the Astra 1A satellite as part of the Sky Multichannels subscription package. However, it became a digital only channel on the end of April 2001 alongside Viacom's other channels broadcasting on Astra 1A as part of Sky's shutdown of its analogue satellite service. MTV UK and Ireland is also broadcast on cable and was also broadcast on the now defunct ITV Digital digital terrestrial service. The channel is split into two advertising regions, UK and Ireland, although these show identical programming.
The channel is based in Camden, London, in the building which was once home to TV-am. The same site hosts the majority of MTV Networks Europe channels, including the pan-European MTV Base, MTV2 Europe, MTV Dance and MTV Hits; along with non-MTV branded MTVNE output such as VH1 and TMF UK. A separate studio in Leicester Square is used for Total Request Live UK.
In 2000 the slogan "The Number One Music Channel" was used for MTV UK and Ireland until 2003. The fact that since then MTV has played very little music on the channel may also add to why the slogan was dropped.
Notable MTV UK & Ireland presenters, past and present, include Donna Air, Tim Kash, Zane Lowe, Alex Zane & Emma Griffiths.
Shows on MTV UK and Ireland
Homegrown Shows
- Most Wanted
- 1 Leicester Square
- Dirty Sanchez
- The Lick
- Pimp My Ride UK
- Total Request Live
- Totally Scott-Lee
Shows Imported from
Other
Criticism
MTV UK has recently been under fire as it no longer airs any daytime music videos, outside of parts of a few shows like Total Request Live UK and Making the Video, and focuses primarily on MTV produced reality shows such as The Osbournes and Punk'd. Many argue, however, that as MTV runs nine music channels in the UK, it has delegated music videos to its genre channels in a bid to differentiate itself from the competition of the fourteen other music video-oriented channels. Videos are also often played between other shows and at night.
The channel has also been attacked for over-use of on-screen graphics, such as logos, programme promotion and countdown timers, and its electronica-themed genre channel MTV Dance is often derided for playing a lack of dance music during the day, preferring a mix of pop-dance, pop, and R&B. Ironically, the channel has also been criticized for lacking programming.
Spinoff Channels
MTV Hits
Launched on May 1st 2001, MTV Hits is a channel which plays non-stop chart music videos.
MTV Base
MTV Base is a channel which plays hip hop, R&B and rap music as well as corresponding programming to those genres of music.MTV Dance
MTV Dance is MTV's dedicated dance music channel with music videos and programming of underground and mainstream dance tracks.
MTV2
MTV2 is a channel dedicated to alternative rock music, with other commercial mainstream music types found on MTV's other music channels. MTV2 was originally known as M2.
TMF (The Music Factory)
TMF was launched as a Freeview channel in 2002 to fend off competition against Emap's The Hits music channel. TMF originally started as a non-stop music channel although the channel now features more and more programming from MTV and from the 30th January 2006 to counteract competition with CBeebies and the CITV Channel, TMF also features the pre-school segment called Noggin.
VH1 (Video Hits 1)
VH1 is a channel targeted at 25-44 year olds playing chart and popular music from the 1970s to the present day. VH1 also carries music programming and themed countdown shows from their US counterpart.
VH1 Classic
VH1 Classic is a channel plays all time greats from the '60s to the '90s.
VH2 (Video Hits 2)
VH2 was launched in late 2003 and shows mainly music videos and live concerts. It focuses on Rock, Indie and Punk music and brands itself as 'the alternative to manufactured pop'.
MTV Extra
MTV Extra is a now defunct channel. It launched in 1999 and was a mixture of music videos and repeats of MTV Programming. Towards the end of the channels life, programming was dropped and the channel showed solely music videos (under the "Pure Music" name), with MTV Dance in the evenings. MTV Dance was spun off into its own channel on April 20th 2001, and MTV Extra was renamed MTV Hits at 6AM on May 1st the same year.See also
External links
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