“Remember when the ‘M’ in MTV stood for music?” is an oft-heard refrain from people who actually remember when the ‘M’ in MTV stood for music, a long-gone heyday that ended somewhere between the advent of YouTube and the proliferation of reality TV.
But MTV is finally doing something to remedy the situation, or at the very least they’re giving those of us old enough to remember classic MTV a way to indulge our whimsy and embrace our nostalgia. It’s called MTV Classic.
As Consequence of Sound reports, from 1st August MTV Classic will be replacing VH1 Classic (both networks are owned by Viacom). The new channel will play classic videos from the MTV archive, as well as all of MTV’s most iconic series.
“From Beavis & Butt-Head to Laguna Beach, MTV’s programming vault is a music and pop culture goldmine with universal resonance,” MTV president Sean Atkins told The Hollywood Reporter.
“MTV Classic gives audiences a modern and artful home for classic MTV programming and alongside MTV, MTV2, MTV Live and mtvU — rounds out a diverse portfolio with music and youth culture at its core.”
The first 24 hours of the newly minted network will open with the first program ever aired on MTV, MTV One Hour, followed by a marathon of Total Request Live and MTV Unplugged, including appearances from Bob Dylan, Nirvana, Oasis, and more.
MTV Classic will also broadcast all of your favourite MTV cartoons like Daria, Beavis & Butt-Head, Aeon Flux, and The Maxx, as well as shows like Pimp My Ride, Cribs, Jackass, and Punk’d.
