MTV Lithuania & Latvia
A localized MTV music and entertainment television channel that served Lithuania and Latvia from 2009 until its closure later that year.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
MTV Lithuania & Latvia was a regional music and entertainment television channel created by MTV Networks Europe for the Baltic market. It was the result of the January 2009 consolidation of the separately branded MTV Lithuania and MTV Latvia services, which had launched in September 2006 alongside MTV Estonia under the MTV Networks Baltic initiative. The consolidated channel was intended to make the MTV operation more efficient during the global financial crisis, particularly as economic conditions in the Baltic states weakened. The service combined localized programming with the wider MTV catalogue. Its schedule included music-video rotation, chart shows, entertainment formats, reality programming, comedy, youth-oriented series, and selected pan-European and United States-produced MTV programmes. International titles included Pimp My Ride, Celebrity Deathmatch, Wildboyz, Beavis and Butt-Head, MTV Cribs, The Real World, Made, True Life, Viva La Bam, My Super Sweet 16, and various MTV award and live-music specials. Many imported programmes were subtitled in Lithuanian, while locally produced programming was designed to reflect Baltic music tastes and youth culture. Local and regional programming included Baltic Top 20, Baltic Top 100, Dance Floor Chart, Hitlist Base Chart, MTV News, MTV Oops, MTV Supermercado, MTV's Most Wanted, Rock Chart, Top 10 @ 10, Wishlist, World Chart Express, and other chart, music-news, and entertainment strands. The operation also developed Baltic-focused projects such as Baltish and Pimp My Ride Baltic, and carried branded initiatives including MTV EXIT, MTV Fanwalk, Coca-Cola Soundwave, Ežio inkubatorius, No Smoking Power, and Pradėk nuo savęs. These projects positioned the channel as more than a music-video outlet, linking the MTV brand to concerts, youth campaigns, social issues, and local entertainment. The first music video broadcast by the Baltic MTV operation was Justice versus Simian's “We Are Your Friends.” The channel's on-air identity was supported by local video jockeys and presenters, including Mantas Stonkus, Jonas Bačelis, Ugnė Skonsmanaitė, Artūras Mediuška, Robertas Mediuška, DJ Sezzy, Orinta Servaitė, Silvija Vilkaitė, Tomas Sinickis, Andrius Afanasjev, Jurgis Didžiulis, and Artūras Burnickis. The available source material identifies these individuals as presenters or VJs rather than corporate executives. In 2008, MTV Networks International entered a licensing agreement with Israeli communications company Ananey Communications relating to operation and management of the MTV brand in the Baltic region. The regional channel nevertheless had a short lifespan. MTV Lithuania & Latvia ceased broadcasting on 19 November 2009, as did MTV Estonia. The Baltic localized services were replaced by MTV Europe, meaning that viewers in Lithuania and Latvia subsequently received the pan-European MTV service and other international Viacom channels through local distribution arrangements. The channel is therefore a defunct regional television brand whose principal historical significance lies in MTV's early attempt to localize its programming and presentation across the Baltic states.
History
MTV's Baltic expansion began in 2006, when MTV Networks Europe established MTV Networks Baltic as a localized broadcasting initiative for Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Three separate services—MTV Lithuania, MTV Latvia, and MTV Estonia—launched in September of that year. The concept adapted MTV's international brand to local languages, presenters, charts, artists, and cultural references while retaining the network's established music and entertainment formats. The first music video aired by the Baltic operation was Justice versus Simian's “We Are Your Friends.” The new channels presented a mixture of local and international music and entertainment. Their programming included music-video blocks, chart shows, news, imported reality formats, comedy, youth series, and MTV event coverage. Local strands included Baltic Top 20, Dance Floor Chart, MTV News, MTV Oops, MTV Supermercado, Rock Chart, Wishlist, and other chart and request-based programmes. The Lithuanian operation also developed locally oriented productions such as Baltish and Pimp My Ride Baltic. A roster of Lithuanian and Baltic VJs gave the service a recognizable local voice, including Mantas Stonkus, Jonas Bačelis, Ugnė Skonsmanaitė, Artūras Mediuška, Robertas Mediuška, DJ Sezzy, Orinta Servaitė, Silvija Vilkaitė, Tomas Sinickis, Andrius Afanasjev, Jurgis Didžiulis, and Artūras Burnickis. The channel's programming architecture combined several layers. Baltic productions and music charts addressed local audiences directly; pan-European MTV programmes such as Euro Top 20, MTV Push, MTV World Stage, MTV Live Sessions, and EMA-related content connected the service to MTV's broader European network; and United States-originated programmes such as MTV Cribs, Made, The Real World, True Life, Wildboyz, Beavis and Butt-Head, and Pimp My Ride supplied recognizable international formats. Local-language subtitles were used for a number of imported programmes. In 2008, MTV Networks International signed a new licensing arrangement with Ananey Communications, an Israeli communications company, concerning continued operation and management of the MTV brand in the Baltic region. The localized model soon came under pressure from the global financial crisis and deteriorating economic conditions in the Baltic states. In January 2009, MTV Networks International merged MTV Latvia and MTV Lithuania into a single service, MTV Lithuania & Latvia. MTV Estonia remained a separate channel at that point. The merger was an efficiency measure and was described as a response to the economic environment, with the combined service intended to operate while the crisis persisted. The consolidated channel had only a brief existence. MTV Lithuania & Latvia and MTV Estonia both ceased operations on 19 November 2009. MTV Europe replaced the Baltic channels, ending MTV's localized channel structure in Lithuania and Latvia. Viewers in Lithuania subsequently received MTV Europe and other international Viacom channels through local distribution arrangements, including distribution associated with Starworks LT. The closure marked the end of MTV Networks Baltic as a group of localized Baltic television services, although the MTV brand continued to be available in the region through its pan-European network.
- 2009
MTV Lithuania and MTV Latvia are consolidated
[1]The two national services are merged into MTV Lithuania & Latvia as the regional business responds to financial difficulties during the global recession.
- 2009
Localized Baltic channel closes
[1]MTV Lithuania & Latvia ceases broadcasting on 19 November, with MTV Europe taking its place.
- 2008
Ananey Communications licensing agreement
[1]MTV Networks International signs an agreement with Ananey Communications concerning operation and management of the MTV brand in the Baltic region.
- 2006
MTV Networks Baltic is established
[2]MTV Networks Europe creates MTV Networks Baltic as a localized broadcasting initiative for Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
- 2006
Separate Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian channels launch
[1]MTV Lithuania, MTV Latvia, and MTV Estonia begin broadcasting in September, introducing localized MTV services to the Baltic region.
Products and positioning
A localized, youth-oriented MTV television service combining Baltic music coverage and presenters with international music videos, entertainment formats, reality programming, and MTV-branded campaigns.
Localized television channel · 2009
MTV Lithuania & Latvia
A 24-hour music and entertainment channel serving audiences in Lithuania and Latvia. It combined Baltic presenters, local charts, regional productions, international music videos, MTV reality and comedy formats, pan-European programmes, and event coverage. The service was formed by merging MTV Lithuania and MTV Latvia in January 2009 and closed on 19 November of the same year.
Localized television channel · 2006
MTV Lithuania
The Lithuanian MTV service launched in September 2006 as part of MTV Networks Baltic. It carried local music and entertainment programming alongside international MTV formats and later became one of the two services consolidated into MTV Lithuania & Latvia.
Localized television channel · 2006
MTV Latvia
The Latvian MTV service launched in September 2006 within MTV Networks Baltic. It operated as a separate channel until its merger with MTV Lithuania in January 2009.
Marketing campaigns
- MTV EXIT
Lithuania · Latvia
An MTV-branded social-impact initiative carried among the channel's other projects and programming, connecting the regional service to MTV's wider campaigns addressing exploitation and related social concerns.
- Coca-Cola Soundwave
Lithuania · Latvia
A seasonal branded music project associated with the channel's Baltic activities.
- MTV Fanwalk
Lithuania · Latvia
An MTV fan-oriented event or activation listed among the channel's Baltic projects.
Brand decisions
2009
Merge MTV Lithuania and MTV LatviaStrategyBackground
The separate channels operated in an increasingly difficult economic environment during the global recession and Baltic financial crisis.
Action taken
MTV Networks International combined the Lithuanian and Latvian services into one channel, MTV Lithuania & Latvia.
Aftermath
The combined channel operated for less than a year before closing on 19 November 2009. MTV Europe replaced the localized service.
2009
Replace localized Baltic services with MTV EuropeStrategyBackground
MTV Networks Baltic's localized channels were no longer maintained as separate services after the regional restructuring.
Action taken
MTV Lithuania & Latvia and MTV Estonia ceased broadcasting, and MTV Europe became the MTV service available in the region.
Aftermath
Localized Baltic channel operations ended, while the MTV brand continued through the pan-European channel and other international Viacom distribution.
Recent events
- 2009
MTV Lithuania and MTV Latvia merge into a combined Baltic channel[1]
Other
MTV Networks International consolidated the Lithuanian and Latvian services into MTV Lithuania & Latvia during a period of financial difficulty and severe economic pressure in the Baltic region.
- 2009
MTV Lithuania & Latvia ceases broadcasting[1]
Other
The combined Baltic channel ended transmission on 19 November 2009. MTV Europe replaced the localized Baltic channels for viewers in the region.
- 2008
MTV Networks International signs a Baltic operating and licensing agreement with Ananey Communications[1]
Other
MTV Networks International agreed with Israeli communications company Ananey Communications to continue operating and managing the MTV brand in the Baltic region.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/mtv-lithuania-and-latvia · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled