MTV rebrands VH1 to attract younger audience
Music TV channel VH1 is to disappear from Australian television in a move which will see MTV Networks launch MTV Classic as a sister station to the main MTV channel.
To promote MTV Classic’s launch, MTV will stage a live music event in place of the network’s annual MTV Australia Awards format.
The pay TV channel will go live on May 1 and it will continue to feature classic contemporary music and artists, but will aim to move VH1’s audience skew of up to 50, to 25 to 40 year olds.
It will showcase music from international artists including Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Michael Jackson and Prince, as well as well-known Australian acts from the same period including INXS, Powderfinger and Silverchair.
The channel will also broadcast MTV shows including MTV Unplugged, Behind the Music, Storytellers and The Osbournes and early artist footage from the MTV archives.
In part the rebrand represents MTV’s move away from its music video heritage to longer form content on it smain channel.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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I remember when MTV had music too…I suppose eventually MTV Classic will have shows like the Hills Retirement Home, MTV Cots, Pimp My Scooter, A Shot of Prunes, Date my Grandma, From Gents to Geriatics
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I really liked VH1 … I hope this doesn’t become a channel for MTV to air their old reality shows
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Orange with a MTV logo in the middle and the word CLASSIC? I suppose FOX CLASSICS must be flattered..
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Considering MTV has just dumped its MTV logo worldwide……. maybe our MTV could have thought of that first?
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I really think thats a bad idea. It sounds too much like Fox Classics, as above, and just sounds old. VH1 is a good brand. Don’t fix what isn’t broken.
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i think this is great. good timing too.
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Max 1 – VH1 0
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