MTV Shows
A former British pay television channel within the MTV channel portfolio.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
MTV Shows was a British pay television channel associated with the MTV network. The service launched on 8 November 2007 under the name MTV, using the MTV brand for a UK television outlet distinct from the broader MTV network identity. Its programming was centered on televised entertainment rather than the original music-video-led proposition historically associated with MTV, although the available reference material does not provide a detailed programme schedule or a complete account of its commissioned and acquired shows. The channel underwent a significant identity change on 1 March 2010, when it was rebranded as MTV Shows. The new name made its entertainment and television-programming orientation more explicit and differentiated the service from other MTV-branded channels operating in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. MTV Shows was distributed as a pay-TV channel, but the available sources do not specify its full carriage footprint, subscription arrangements, audience figures, or commercial performance. On 28 August 2010, MTV Shows was removed from Virgin Media, alongside MTV +1 and MTV Classic. The channels were taken off that platform to make room for Comedy Central HD. This was a distribution change rather than a documented editorial repositioning, but it reduced the channel’s availability to Virgin Media customers. MTV Shows was ultimately rebranded as MTV Music on 1 February 2011. That transition ended the MTV Shows identity after less than a year of operation under that name. The available reference material does not establish whether the change involved a substantial programming transformation, a wider portfolio rationalisation, or both. The channel should therefore be understood as a discontinued UK MTV-branded television service whose principal documented milestones were its 2007 launch, 2010 renaming, Virgin Media removal, and 2011 replacement by the MTV Music identity.
History
MTV Shows was a British pay television channel in the MTV portfolio. It launched on 8 November 2007 under the name MTV. The available historical record identifies it as a UK service, but does not provide a detailed account of its ownership structure, launch management, channel number, subscriber base, or original programme slate. On 1 March 2010, the channel was renamed MTV Shows. The rebrand placed greater emphasis on television shows and entertainment programming while retaining the MTV identity. It formed part of a wider set of MTV-branded services available in the British pay-TV market, alongside channels such as MTV +1 and MTV Classic. The channel’s distribution changed on 28 August 2010, when Virgin Media removed MTV Shows, MTV +1, and MTV Classic from its platform. The stated reason was to make room for Comedy Central HD. This event affected the channel’s availability on one major UK pay-TV platform, although the available source does not document the service’s position on other distributors or the audience impact of the withdrawal. MTV Shows was rebranded again on 1 February 2011, becoming MTV Music. This marked the end of the MTV Shows name and the conclusion of the channel’s documented run as a separate brand identity. The available sources do not explain the full strategic rationale for the change or specify the extent to which its programming changed. MTV Shows is therefore best recorded as a discontinued British MTV-branded pay-TV channel that operated from 2007 until its 2011 conversion into MTV Music.
- 2011
Conversion to MTV Music
[1]The service was rebranded as MTV Music on 1 February 2011, ending the MTV Shows brand.
- 2010
Rebrand to MTV Shows
[1]On 1 March 2010, the channel adopted the MTV Shows identity.
- 2010
Virgin Media carriage ends
[1]Virgin Media removed MTV Shows, MTV +1, and MTV Classic on 28 August 2010 to accommodate Comedy Central HD.
- 2007
Channel launch
[1]The British pay television channel launched on 8 November 2007 under the MTV name.
Products and positioning
A UK pay-TV entertainment channel using the MTV brand, with a programming-led identity that was later renamed MTV Shows and subsequently replaced by MTV Music.
Pay television channel · 2007
MTV Shows television channel
The core offering was a British pay television channel launched in 2007 under the MTV name and renamed MTV Shows in March 2010. It provided a branded television outlet within the UK MTV portfolio. The available reference material does not list specific flagship programmes or provide a complete description of its schedule. The channel ceased using the MTV Shows name when it became MTV Music in February 2011.
Brand decisions
2011
Replace MTV Shows with MTV MusicGeneration changeBackground
The channel had been known as MTV Shows since March 2010.
Action taken
On 1 February 2011, MTV Shows was rebranded as MTV Music.
Aftermath
The MTV Shows brand was discontinued and the service continued under the MTV Music identity.
2010
Rename the channel MTV ShowsStrategyBackground
The UK MTV service had operated under the shorter MTV name since its 2007 launch.
Action taken
The channel was rebranded as MTV Shows on 1 March 2010.
Aftermath
The MTV Shows identity remained in use until the service was renamed MTV Music in February 2011.
Recent events
- 2011
MTV Shows is rebranded as MTV Music[1]
Product generation
The MTV Shows identity ended when the service was renamed MTV Music on 1 February 2011.
- 2010
MTV is rebranded as MTV Shows[1]
Other
On 1 March 2010, the British MTV service adopted the MTV Shows name.
- 2010
MTV Shows leaves Virgin Media[1]
Other
Virgin Media removed MTV Shows, MTV +1, and MTV Classic on 28 August 2010 to create capacity for Comedy Central HD.
- 2007
MTV launches as a British pay television channel[1]
Other
The channel began broadcasting in the United Kingdom on 8 November 2007 under the MTV name.
Sources2 sources
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