When we discussed Appendix A, I mentioned that MTV’s popularity appears to be on the decline. I asked how many of you watch it, and roughly, half to two-thirds went up in the air. During the Spring 2003 semester, I asked the same question, and all the hands went up. It would appear that you guys are part of a larger trend.
Since its inception 25 years ago, MTV defined and marked successive generations. Unlike most companies, MTV was happy when one generation (Generation X) moved on because MTV welcomed the next generation (Millennials). Will there be a third generation to welcome? Likely.
MTV long ago jumped the shark; probably sometime when Remote Control debuted. MTV2 accomplished the feat when it canceled WonderShowzen. MTVU appears to carry MTV’s jettisoned brand identity. Unfortunately, none of the satellite companies carries it.
Where did MTV’s audience go? Gone to watch lip synching on YouTube.
53 responses so far ↓
whitneyw1 // February 23, 2007 at 4:39 pm |
I believe that the decline in MTV’s audience is due larely to the fact the the original format of the channel no longer exists. When I was younger MTV had some shows on it but a majority of the content on the channel was music videos and shows surrounding music. Today, MTV is made up of a multitude of reality tv shows, most of which are similar in many ways. I know that it my case, I do not watch the channel as much because I feel over exposed to reality t.v. and reality dating shows that I have absolutly no interest in. Though I think that MTV will always have some sort of audience, I think that the older you get, the less interested you become in the high school drama shows and other shows of that nature. This leads to a decrease in viewers who may have previously been advocates for the channel. In addition, if MTV brought back more of the music aspect to the channel maybe it could regain some of its old viewers.
erich1 // February 24, 2007 at 3:34 pm |
I agree with the case made by whitneyw1. The significant change of content with the channel has caused a great shift in the amount and type of viewers who tune into the channel. As for the branches of different MTV channels, they seem to be a simple solution to the viewers who complain that MTV does not play enough music videos. Channels such as MTV U are played at the rec center here at the university and consist mostly of music videos of music you would likely hear on a college radio station. MTV2 is simply a channel with mostly music videos, but even several of the reality shows played on the original MTV have now bled over into the more music oriented channel. From what I have seen of the MTV of today, I agree that the channel could be just as easily run by a committee of 16 year olds. I find it astounding that in 2003, a group of students our age would have all admitted to being viewers of the now teenage-driven MTV. It is pretty amazing to think of why MTV would change from a source of getting to see my favorite artists “perform”, to a place where I can wait and find out who the attention-driven teen will pick out to go on a second date. Although, what was the original purpose of MTV? Has it always been to mold itself to the audience who was willing to accept it into their living room? Molding itself to an audience of those who follow the most popular trends may prove fatal to the once thriving powerhouse of music television.
lexib2 // February 25, 2007 at 1:55 pm |
I agree with the above comments as well. For a few years there was a big drive of reality TV shows. Channels other than MTV even picked up their versions of reality TV. I believe that our society has been there and done that, and is now looking for the next new fad in TV. I think that MTV is running this reality TV business into the ground, and may suffer a little in the ratings for a little bit while changing gears towards the next hot thing. Just like Beanie Babies and Pokemon came and went, it’s time to start moving on from reality TV to something new. I agree with the above comments on missing the music video aspects of MTV, but I feel that MTV will have to do more than just pick up more music videos to successfully maintain rave reviews.
amandaj1 // February 25, 2007 at 9:41 pm |
As said previously, I agree that the older you get, the less likely you are going to be interested in MTV’s television format. I believe they are targeting more to teens and pre-teens, or those more likely to be intrigued with drama, trends, popularity, etc. Although, I do not agree with the idea that MTV is probably losing its audience. On the other hand, I do think that MTV is altering its entire format and culture, and has been attempting this for a long time. Since its launch 25 years ago, MTV has gone through drastic changes. They now highly promoting a ton of reality tv shows rather than just playing music videos, which is not causing them to “lose” an audience, but rather to gain a new one, and this takes time. As we know, product repositioning can take a while, especially for a highly well-known television network such as MTV. This is what i think explains the drop in college-aged viewers.
micheller2 // February 26, 2007 at 12:58 am |
I agree with the above comments as well. I agree that the older you get, the less likely you are going to be interested in MTV’s television format. MTV may be losing the older generations but they continue to be popular with the 12-18 year old crowd. While the programming has shifted to more reality shows that in itself does not upset me, but rather the repetition of shows is very irritating. Either they need to come with more programs or play more music videos instead of repetitive airing of the same show. Instead of “I want my MTV” it should be “I Want my OLD MTV back!!!”
rossc1 // February 26, 2007 at 9:44 am |
With 100+ channels on many modern day television systems, it makes it increasingly difficult to focus attention to one particular channel for a majority of the time. It is obvious that MTV has noticed this by creating the complementing channels such as MTV2 and MTVu. They have also done well to move through the generations of people, but as stated, the older you get the less likely you will be to watch the station. In recent years, MTV has been more focused on reality TV and dating shows, ultimately moving away from the music television that once attracted many viewers. Music to MTV used to be their “competitive advantage” in a sense and I believe that the loss of many viewers is due to MTV’s movement away from this concept.
retzi2285 // February 26, 2007 at 10:14 am |
MTV has warped its format from purely being about music to fixating on reality TV, targeting a younger generation. I feel that because of this, there is a definite gap in the ages that are now viewers. As a child, I remember spending my summers with re-runs of music videos; presently, it’s re-runs of Sweet Sixteen and Next. As a young adult, I really do not want to spend my time seeing some spoiled teenager get a porsche for their first car. This is where I think MTV has lost touch with its original purpose-music. As above rossc1 stated, it was their “competitve advantage;” however, now that is misconstrued. Isn’t a music channel supposed to be about music? If MTV could implement shows that deal with actual intellect and maybe its original purpose, instead of the materialism with teenagers, I believe this could help the target market.
kkovacic // February 26, 2007 at 10:32 am |
MTV (music television) has moved far from what it originally was. Today, MTV is more so a channel where one can watch annoying, outdated, high school drama. I think that a few years back reality shows were a big hit. At the same time those reality shows were also much more “normal” and bearable to watch compared to the ones today. Today a reality show consists of purposely picking very opposite personalities that will deliberately cause conflicts. Frankly, the program MTV has is getting old. It seems like the same boring shows have been aired for a few years and nothing is being done about it. The decrease in popularity is not surprising to me at all. What is surprising is the fact that MTV is not doing anything about it. It seems like they need to incorporate something new and less high school and dramatic in the program. However, it seems like they are far from doing so. The program should be about music, the performers, and dancers – - about the music industry.
matta1 // February 26, 2007 at 10:56 am |
As with all the comments, I agree with the above statements. However, I have an aspect that I think has been overlooked. Currently we all live in an information age. Technology and learning is the key to getting buy and making it big. MTV used to have a daily news report every hour 10min before the hour. I think that MTV still has some form of that, but it isn’t used nearly as much. Also, MTV would have a large college audience and talk to congress men and women. They would bring in guess speakers that would talk about current big issues that are conflicting with society. As I grow older I find myself watching less and less TV. When I do watch TV I find myself looking for something informative and entertaining. Occasionally I will only watch the news, but I believe there has been a big switch from general drama and entertainment to learning. For example, Myth Busters, Dirty Jobs, Food Network, Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and etc… all these shows seem to be growing in popularity because of the want/need to know more. I think if MTV wants there audience to continue to grow they need to adapt with the change. Bring back the fact that MTV used to be one of the largest voices of young adults, and as always bring back the music. Music will always be, no matter what year it is, current and coming out with new and interesting ways to play and interpret it. I still miss that there isn’t a station that plays music videos all day.
danielr2 // February 26, 2007 at 11:05 am |
I believe that the downfall of MTV has something to do with the image correlated with watching the shows that are aired on the channel. I am not familiar with the various shows but I have a general idea that they are basically reality TV shows aimed at a pre-teen to teenage audience. This target audience strategy has proved costly for MTV because they have lost many viewers that are either uninterested or think it is no longer hip to watch the station. Back when MTV was successful, they were an original station offering insight to music and entertainment that other channels could not match. In the present age of reality TV, it seems the playing field is relatively level because anyone can throw a group of people and cause a drama inducing situation. I personally can no longer tell the difference between any TV stations since they are mostly switching toward this reality format. Another reason for this decline is the lack of actual music being aired on the channel. The live music shows of the past are what gave rise to MTV’s success and it seems they have strayed from this in favor of showing re-runs from 2002. I believe the availability of live music via the internet has hurt MTV because they cannot offer the same variety and choice that internet sites can.
stacys2 // February 26, 2007 at 11:09 am |
I agree that MTV is no where near what it once was. It actually used to be about music, but these days, there is rarely any actual music being played on MTV. All there is now is reality television. In what way does MTV (MUSIC television) stand for reality television? I have no idea. And the thing is, is that the reality shows that are played don’t even do a good job representing actual reality, it represents drama. That’s all MTV is these day is drama and stirring up trouble in people’s lives. I think MTV chooses the people they decide to follow around by deciding who can cause the most trouble. And in actual reality, there are bigger problems out there then boyfriends or girlfriends, but that is all MTV shows us. So with this in mind, I am definitely not surprised with the decreasing popularity of MTV. The majority of people that used to watch MTV, surprisingly, want to watch music television. And since MTV has moved away from that, they have moved away from MTV. If MTV ever decides to go back to music and videos, I am sure the original fans will be back to watch it, but until then, MTV can count on their decreasing popularity.
milevin // February 26, 2007 at 12:22 pm |
A point of clarification: MTV executives do a jig because members of Generation X no longer watch the channel. How many advertisements do you see for investment opportunities? How many Spring Break parties are sponsored by Audi or BMW?
The problem lies in the numbers. For argument’s sake, let’s say Generation X is comprised of 100 million people and 1% watched MTV at any one time.
Now, the Millennial cohort is larger than the Generation X cohort. Let’s say 150 million. If MTV were still getting 1%, then the MTV executives would be ecstatic.
But they aren’t those number and they aren’t ecstatic. Heck, they aren’t even getting one million, or the former level of Generation X viewers.
That is, as we say, a problem.
stanf1 // February 26, 2007 at 1:16 pm |
I believe MTV still has a very large population that loves the channel. I no longer watch the channel because there is abosolutly no music on the channel. Now the channel consist of mainly reality shows, which I feel the younger generations love to watch. Our generation had already gone through the stage of liking reality TV. I believe that most people from our generation are burned out on the reality shows. Its like there is a reality series on about every channel. If MTV wanted to get back its old customers/audience then they should go back to music. After all it is called Music television not reality television.
allisonw2 // February 26, 2007 at 1:47 pm |
MTV has lost their viewers because they have left the original format from when it first started out, among other reasons. I remember as a kid, every morning and usually all day Saturday, I could spend countless hours watching video after video on MTV. Once Carson Daily started doing the countdown they started cutting videos shorter and shorter. I watched the countdown close to a year ago (I think) and I saw all of 10 seconds of the videos on the coundown. What happened to Music Television?????? Now I can flip on MTV and watch girls throw sweet sixteen parties costing as much as any minor hollywood event. Or, I can watch engaged and underaged and see high school graduates battle through the stress of getting married (yes, I’ve watched it and some of the stories are sweet). Regardless, MTV has turned into reality tv. Maybe they should consider changing their name.
lesleyh1 // February 26, 2007 at 3:17 pm |
I think that MTV is not what it was ten years ago. They used to feature new and upcoming artist and had hour time blocks of just music videos. That’s what really attracted the younger crowd. Now MTV focuses on reality tv shows that have been showcased on every station. Many people from the younger generation what to see music videos and not more drama. There are still people from younger generations that watch MTV and from my generation. I think they are just looking for the original format of seeing rockstars and new music videos.
rachelh1 // February 26, 2007 at 4:06 pm |
I believe that MTV has lost its audience because they seem to have “taken the easy way out”. What I mean is that MTV was known for being ORIGINAL, fresh and inventive; now, they plug-in a new generations interests into the same old format along with other redundant reality show foramts concurrent with television in general and out comes the crap they show on MTV. Reality t.v. is dead and the sooner someone realizes that, the better off we will all be. Every channel, almost every program broadcasts the same crap, reality show formula, just with a slightly different twist. MTV has become a generation of those who like to “take the easy way out” and has completely lost the INTELLIGENT ORIGINATLITY it was once recognized for and know as! The reason that no one pays attention to MTV is because we are BORED, in a time of ADD, TiVO and reality tv, we’ve heard it, seen it and even done it all before and we are SICK and TIRED!
rachelc1 // February 26, 2007 at 9:10 pm |
A few years ago when you turned on MTV you would see only music videos. I agree with all the people that commented on that MTV has been taken over by reality television. Whenever I flip the channels MTV is showing juvenile shows as Sweet Sixteen and Real World. Individuals have stopped watching MTV, because they are becoming more mature and MTV keeps focusing on the immature audience. Therefore, many individuals have lost interest in the trivial reality shows that this channel broadcasts. MTV originated by playing music videos all day and night. However, now the only time you can see music videos on the channel are on TRL or during after hours. I believe it is ridiculous that MTV has tossed away playing music videos, because that is what they are known for. MTV has definitely lost their charm for what they originally stood for. I believe this channel has declined over the years on what they allow to be broadcasted. It seems that stupid dating shows are what they think the audience wants to watch. From 2003 to 2006 MTV has had a drastic decline in viewers. A few years ago I loved watching MTV, but now I maybe will watch one show. I do not think all the blame should fall on MTV, but I am just disappointed in what the channel has become. It is absurd that in today’s society you cannot watch television without being forced to watch a reality T.V show. I think our society’s expectations have declined in regards to television. I think it is time for MTV to reconstruct their channel and make their shows geared to a more mature audience.
brookea2 // February 26, 2007 at 10:19 pm |
Besides the fact that MTV used to be mostly music videos and is now mostly reality television, (or “trash TV” as my mom likes to call it), I think there are several other factors that caused generation X to switch channels.
I think the initial shock of how spoiled, open and trashy the kids act on MTV was a major factor of having an audience to begin with. For me, I can’t believe the way people act. However, after several shows of disappointment and feeling embarrassed for the kids, I switched stations.
Another factor of why I’ve switched stations is because I have grown up. My generation, (for the most part) is college educated. Personally, I don’t get enjoyment out of watching an entire show about crystal meth addicts (A: Stop embarrassing yourself; B: Stop advertising your addiction; and C: Get help!) or people who are on a diet (I’m a girl; I know what a diet’s like, thanks!).
Although I have these feelings towards MTV, I have a younger 13 year old sister, who is still an avid watcher. She feels the need to know what it’s like in the “REAL WORLD,” or take tips for her “not so-sweet sixteen.” I personally don’t like her watching MTV, but I have faith that like generation X, the Millennial’s will move on… (Maybe to the Food Network…?)
lynsmith // February 27, 2007 at 9:07 am |
I remember when I was younger and watched MTV. Well, tried to watch MTV. My mother would not let me because the content was too mature for a young teenager. I still remember watching Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit music video secretly while she was in the other room. The thing with MTV is that they do nothing with music anymore. If the show TRL has changed so much. There are never music videos on or anything. I honestly don’t know why musicians make music videos anymore because they are never shown. If MTV would go back to their original format I think that they would gain more viewers. Also, they should definitely do away with all of their “crappy reality” shows. MTV started the reality show craze. I really enjoy watching The Hills and DanceLife. Those are two reality shows that they still have that, for the most part, are not trashy and center around sex and drinking. Their other date shows are beyond annoying. Most of the people on them are younger than our generation and act like no one I know. I do not know where they find these people to behave in such a way. Their behavior is too inappropriate for the young teenagers they are attracting to watch. My last point is every generation grows up. My generation is growing up and we are starting to realize that the real world is not actually like the “Real World.” My suggestions to MTV: go back to the MUSIC!!!
ashleyh1 // February 27, 2007 at 12:56 pm |
It is obvious that MTV is no longer what it used to be. Was it not called Music Television for a reason? It has turned into the reality tv channel. If I was a musician, I would complain or do something about it because they make expensive vidoes and they don’t even see the light of day. Given there is a new generation out there who watches the channel, but they have no idea what MTV used to be like. Music was there base for the tv station. If they turn away from it, they are liable for musicians to turn away from them. They are making a choice, music or reality.
iana1 // February 27, 2007 at 2:18 pm |
MTV is a terrible channel now. When they do play music videos it isn’t even the whole video, its roughly half of it. I remember back in the “old days” when Bevis and Butthead aired. That was a show that had music videos IN it. Now the only thing that is played are crappy shows most of which are re runs all day every day. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if the quality of programming wasn’t in the crapper, but instead they have shows like “Yo Momma”, which to me, targets elementary aged kids. TRL, I believe the only show that still has to do with music, is very bland and only shows clips of the videos. I think, now this is just speculation, but I believe they still show SOME videos late at night when no one is watching. I guess they do this so they can still call themselves MUSIC TELEVISION. But wait, there’s more. There is now MTV2 and maybe even an MTV3. You would think maybe THOSE would be all music videos….WRONG. mostly reruns of Jackass, and Viva la Bam. Funny shows but they belong on a network like Spike, not MTV. All in all, MTV is a terrible network that no one should watch, it destroys your brain. Seeing 15 year old spoiled brats get $50,000 cars they can’t even drive yet isn’t my idea of good tv, nor is it music, what the hell? Bring back my MTV!
evaughan2 // February 27, 2007 at 2:42 pm |
I can sit infront of the TV for hours to avoid being productive, but MTV is one of those channels that won’t spark an interest with me. MTV got ahead in the game with the beginning of reality tv, and for awhile that phenomenon grabbed all the viewers attention, but now most people are tired of watching no bodies fight with each other or hooking up with other people I could care less about. I feel sorry for the people who participate in these shows. A friend of mine is in the movie/tv industry, and he started by working for the MTV show, Room Raiders. He said the people were just awful, and they had to do plenty of takes, even though it was a reality show. The only time MTV has gotten my attention, was when I was watching him, and then I was only watching the show to make fun of him. MTV has rode on the reality show band wagon for too long. People my age don’t watch it anymore because a majority of the shows are based on highschool kids, and who really cares about that? We have all already been there and done that. They can keep a few of these shows, thats fine, someone is always bound to watch it, but the music videos is were they should be headed to again. They started their channel with music videos and became a success, and I think they could stay a success with bringing more music videos back.
malloryg2 // February 27, 2007 at 2:45 pm |
I remember watching MTV years ago when it actually supported it’s acronym. Music TeleVision. Where is the music now? The majority of MTV’s broadcasting now is reality tv shows, which we can find on every other station as well … might I add. Every once in a while you can catch maybe a program with music videos for an hour. But, why would someone want to sit at home on the couch watching tv for music videos when they have better things to do. While they’re doing their other business they can get the music they actually want to hear through their Ipod or XM. I think that MTV has lost its original intent, not only by viewers loosing interest but also by advances in technology as well.
taylorj2 // February 27, 2007 at 10:21 pm |
I don’t think the main problem with MTV is the fact that they hardly ever show music anymore. A lot of people are really into the shows they push now (Real World, Laguna Beach). I personally think the shows are over-produced garbage, but that is what appeals to the masses these days. I think people are OK with only a small amount of music on the channel, I just think that the overall quality of music today has gone down considerably. People used to watch MTV to get informed on what music was out there, and now there are many new quicker outlets to find out about new artists.Now, people would rather just listen to a friend’s music or satellite radio to discover new music. The type of music they show now on MTV is all for marketing purposes. Music is now a diluted market place, and MTV is not a place to find the innovative music that today’s youth seeks.
elizabethb1 // February 27, 2007 at 11:32 pm |
The large MTV audience has grown up and has lost interest in Reality TV. Viewers today dont want to see a bunch of rich kids being complete jerks to their parents or streotypical beach bumbs living out their days. MTV has changed from being an informative source about music to a waste of air time. The shows are not worth watching. I would rather watch VH1 in the morning instead of MTV, because the music is more enjoyable. I just think alot of people are getting bored with the type of shows and music played on MTV, they need to be more creative and show a varity of shows.
jeffo2 // February 27, 2007 at 11:49 pm |
I just think that the interest in MTV has drastically declined because it’s becoming less of a music channel and more of a typical channel. It’s got less TRL style shows and more reality television shows are flocking to the station like ants to a breadcrumb. I just think that by varying from their image, the identity that customers have has been tarnished.
koltb2 // February 28, 2007 at 10:51 am |
I too agree that the format of MTV has changed to an unrecognizable layout. If you can catch a music video on MTV you are lucky. Furthermore, the most of the shows have nothing to do with music. I also agree that the reality shows are geared toward pre-teens and teens. I have several younger siblings and cousins that occasionally watch MTV, but I hardly ever watch MTV. By catching glimpses of shows like ‘Sweet 16′ and ‘Laguna Beach’ they seem boring and immature. I guess I have to consider the characters in those shows are in high school. I personally feel they need to look at the past, when they were differnt than everyone else and reincorporate those elements, if they really want to survive. I never go to MTV.com, but they really seem to be pushing that, maybe they are starting something new in that arena.
kyleb2 // February 28, 2007 at 2:47 pm |
It seems like everyone has the same opinion about MTV. I believe that the downfall of MTV is that they haven’t changed their style in a long time. They have added new shows but they are all based on the same reality concept. I enjoyed MTV when they played more music videos and had game shows like “Singled Out.” Another reason for the decline in viewers is that they are targeting younger people, but I believe they are a new generation and may not like the shows they air. I think MTV should start fresh and get rid of every show they have aired longer than 10 years. This would help to attract new viewers and hopefully get higher ratings.
courtneys1 // February 28, 2007 at 3:00 pm |
I agree with the general consesus. MTV used to be devoted to music videos. That was a huge thing back when it started. “Video killed the radio star.” I believe now Reality TV killed the Video Star. I have to watch Yahoo Music Videos now if I want to see the latest music video. The probably now is that MTV is devoted strictly to reality tv shows and dating show, all which seem to be scripted, so is it really reality? Or what the produces preceive as reality? Plus most of it is just snotty rich kids, which to me is just annoying to watch. And the dating shows, seriously? Most of those would not happen in real life, such as the Parental Control. Who would dump there long-term boyfriend in the drop of a hat for a guy that they just met, that their parents picked out by the way. I think if MTV went back to the original state of music videos, it could gain a lot of its audience back. I believe that reality tv is just a fade and will soon decline very fast, therefore they are going to have to come up with something that we still attract an audience.
maryc1 // February 28, 2007 at 5:56 pm |
I think that MTV has lost its popularity because like said before they have changed their format to not playing music. But not only have they strayed away from what made them so popular they have gone in a completely different direction. They have followed the trend of creating reality programs. This trend is so prevalent and appears on every station that MTV not longer stands out as a unique channel. People have stopped watching because there is really no need to the quality of shows produced are not as good as they are on other channels and some not appropriate for younger teen that they have counted on for viewer ship in the past. I feel that if MTV would revert back to their old format of playing videos and be unique rather than falling in to the trends of reality TV. Once MTV does this they will regain viewers that have abandoned them.
julianneb1 // February 28, 2007 at 9:32 pm |
MTV= Music Television, right? Well there isn’t much music on it anymore, it’s all a bunch of random reality shows. I’ll admit Laguna Beach and the Hills are entertaining, but the new shows like Engaged and Underage? I think they are targeting a small audience. Are they trying to make more kids rebels? At 21 my parents still don’t really like me watching MTV, they just think it’s worthless, well now I’m starting to agree. All the shows seem the same and they all seem to put emphasis on things that are young for our generation. Maybe if they went back to more music they’d have a better fan base.
kellis1 // March 1, 2007 at 2:09 pm |
In my opinion MTV has tried too hard to capitalize on the recent reality tv show market. Everyone has seen their fair share of reality television shows, and in my opinion this type of television is definately on the downfall. MTV used to be all about music, but now they have very few shows and time slots related to music or music videos. I feel that they have lost a lot of viewers becuase of this. When i watch MTV, I admit that i do enjoy alot of the shows that are not related to music, but there are alot of times that i would like to be able to turn to a channel and just watch some music videos. Another factor that has affected MTV viewers is definately the availablity of music and downloads through the internet. Many people now only use the internet to listen to and view music videos. MTV needs to bring back more music in my opinion if they want to regain their market share.
ricardoc2 // March 1, 2007 at 2:59 pm |
MTV viewers are on the decline, but it is not due to MTV changing its format from music videos to reality television. If the programming presented by MTV was so unsuccessful then MTV would not put the majority of its programs on syndication. I am a firm believer that there is a reason for everything and this includes the programming that is available on MTV today. That being sai, I have to agree with rossc1 due to the fact that MTV is lost in the saturation of so many channels on cable and satelite television. When MTV was first introduced in the early 80s, there were no more than 30 to 40 channels airing on television. Today you can expect more than 250 channels that offer so much variety and even the same concepts as MTV. So in essence, its not that MTV lost it’s viewers, its the viewers lost MTV.
codyh2 // March 1, 2007 at 5:50 pm |
MTV was extremely popular when I wasin high school, everyone was wanting to go home and watch it. That was when msic videos were still in, now its reality television. When reality tv first came out people we tunning in every night to watch some loser try to become famous by living their lives for our pleasure. MTV has over the past two years picked up on the trend and has created shows to where we can watch rich girls compare their materialistic things and watch strangers fight in one house. I believe that MTV can keep holding on to this trend but within the next couple of years they are going to run out of ideas for reality television because reality tv as a whole will soon be on the decline. MTV has pretty much kicked their original vision statement of brining in music through television out the door and with out something to fall back on they will lose their viewers and ratings. MTV will need to start developing the new way we watch tv and send that to the next generation.
joseb1 // March 1, 2007 at 7:11 pm |
I know where all the old MTV viewers went; to another channel. I’m sure most of us can remember the days when MTV content was always quality programming with a reality twist. Today, it is filled with ego filled preteens with their parents money living a life MTV have somewhat scripted for them. What happened to the “Real World?” Literally. Today, high school kids with continue to witness similar aged kids living all their wildest dreams. The former views have grown up while MTV has changed its appeal towards kids under the age of 18. If MTV wants its old viewers back, they might need to grow up like they did.
kirkf1 // March 1, 2007 at 9:43 pm |
I am in agreeance with nearly everyones opinion on this issue. MTV has, in my opinion, dumbed themselves down a bit since I was in high school or even junior high. At that time, next to ESPN, MTV was one of the handful of stations I tuned into not only for entertainment in music but as a few previous posters stated during certain periods MTV would provide useful information on politics and other world news. Those days are seemingly all gone. Now, the station is dominated by reality shows and seemingly targeting a pre-teen or young teen demographic. Because of this they have lost my viewership and seemingly most of us in our current demographic.
eriny2 // March 1, 2007 at 10:14 pm |
I believe that MTV’s audience will not return anytime soon. As everyone previously has mentioned, the channel consists of mostly reality television. I think that TRL is really the only music-based show they still play. MTV got so caught up with the “reality TV” trend that they have devalued the view of their station. The shows currently on the air seem fake and do not send the right messages to their target audience, which are mostly high school children. The extravagant sweet 16 parties aired are not the typical view of society. I think that this a contributing factor to teens becoming increasingly greedy or feeling like they need objects in their life to make them happy. There are always stories in the news concerning this matter, but really when children in high school and even younger are watching shows such as “Sweet Sixteen,” how can you blame their view of how society should be? I mean it is a “reality” show, right? Also, the Date My Mom shows and NEXT are both shows that seem fake. They have eighteen and twenty year olds on these two shows, but the audience is not of this age group. I think that if MTV is only targeting on viewers from the younger ages then they will continue on in the path they have made. But, as you can see, I do not think that MTV can re-capture the audience of our generation with the current shows they are airing.
justinj1 // March 1, 2007 at 10:17 pm |
I do not believe MTV is completely dead yet. Laguna Beach, Next, and TRL still have respectable viewership. However, the future does not look bright. The introduction of more television channels, TiVo, and internet media pose significant threats. I think that Viacom (the company that owns MTV) has enough cash and marketing know-how to retain their core target market. MTV will have to roll with the punches, but I think they will be ok in the long term due to Viacom’s commitment to an important marketing demographic (young adults).
ashleyho1 // March 1, 2007 at 10:42 pm |
I think that MTV still has avid viewers I just think that it is a younger generation that now watches MTV. This is expected however since this is what all trends do, they start with the young adults and then trickle down to the pre-teens. A perfect example of this is clothing watch the trends they will start with college girls and once the high school girls start wearing the trend the college girls stop. In a since this has happened with MTV, it was once popular with the college age kids when it first began and as more and more yonger kids found it to be the popular channel to watch less college students watched it
charlese1 // March 1, 2007 at 10:43 pm |
In past years, you knew what shows to expect when you turned the station to MTV. However, there are so many shows on MTV now that I can’t remember but maybe two of them. MTV should stick to a few basic shows in order the American people to stay true to the station. Teenagers and young adults now have many more entertainment choices to choose from. This could be another reason why the numbers of people who watch MTV have droped. Furthermore, MTV will be prepared for changes and welcome in the new generation of MTV fans.
hunterh1 // March 2, 2007 at 12:47 am |
I believe that the main reason that MTV has lost a large part of its audience due to the fact that it continuously runs a number of shows that are poorly made spinoffs of other shows that were on MTV. Honestly, how many times can you make show about the “Real World” and actually have something interesting go on in the show. I guess MTV figured that if it worked once, why not 6 more times. Also, MTV is a channel I think of when I want to see a music video, or watch something about music, it is not what I think of when I want to watch a regular TV show. However, MTV is showing fewer and fewer things that actually deal with music, and are trying to get into the general TV shows. I think this is a big mistake because they are getting away from their original fame, and have obviously got serious issues with maintaining a fan base in the regular TV industry.
meascott // March 2, 2007 at 10:04 am |
The recent decline of MTV’s popularity with college students is partly due to the fact that we are not their target audience anymore. As a generation of avid MTV viewers, we have moved on to more mature TV shows if any TV at all. I believe that MTV is something that defined many of our teen years, and since then has not grown from that image. Although, the boom of reality TV has taken its toll on MTV viewers. It seems like reality TV shows are the only thing MTV actually shows. For myself, this is a large reason why I do not watch MTV as often as I use to because of the uninteresting shows that they continually produce and show. I believe that moving into the reality TV business rather than their original image of being a music video channel was a very bad choice for MTV to make. Sometimes change isn’t always good.
treyk1 // March 2, 2007 at 12:13 pm |
I have to agree with the number of people that said MTV doesn’t even play music anymore. The only time I’ve ever seen music on that channel in the last few years is for about 10 seconds between whatever worthless shows are on. I believe the audience has moved on to reality TV, since that’s what everyone and their mom talks about. MTV just needs to find something that will attract this different generation. For example, I recently tried to watch a show on Nickelodeon to see what kids these days are watching. It was terrible, but then again I’m probably not the target audience. That said, this weekend I had the pleasure of watching Nickelodeon GAS (Games and Sports), which features shows from when I was a kid. I still enjoyed watching them. Laugh all you want, but that is just what appeals to me, even 14 years later. MTV just has to find something to spark the interest of the Millenials, and they’ll be fine for the next few years until the cycle starts over again.
ashleyd2 // March 2, 2007 at 2:42 pm |
I think that the people who made MTV popular have just grown-up and MTV has failed to grow up with it. When you asked our class (a group of juniors in college) if we still watch MTV, a lot of people didn’t raise their hands because we have grown up. If you were to ask the same question to a group of juniors in high school I think you would get a totally different response. MTV is targeting more issues that affect them (for exaple Two -a-days and My Super Sweet Sixteen), rather than things that a “normal” college student deals with. They might argue that we have to deal with things like roomates (The Real World) but we have become used to this, and understand that this is not really reality. MTV also has so many re-runs that you can miss a whole show, and near the end of that show’s season you can watch the entire season in one weekend. (and if you miss it, there is always next weekend). I am sure they will just continue to cater to the high schoolers until the next generation comes with different issues to document.
jvasquez2 // March 2, 2007 at 3:07 pm |
MTV is now driven by reality, Reality TV, that is. When i was growing up MTV was music television, now it is just like every other station, which could be the reason it is losing viewers. If people were going to watch reality tv they have alot of choices , whereas if they want to watch music television they really have only two or three. Aside from that people in college are not as concerned with the tv as much as highschoolers are. They do not have they time for it anymore. They one show that continues to do well for MTV is Real World, it could very well be the best reality show created and it still is going strong like 12 years later. But it only runs 12 to 14 weeks a year, they need to make up for that somehow.
marcusk1 // March 2, 2007 at 4:06 pm |
I don’t think MTV popularty is totally declining, nut MTV’s poplularity is declining for our generation. In my opinion MVT shows are extremely ridiculous and juvinile. Younger audiences like these types of shows and older ausdiences would rather watch something else.
I think MTV should also change its name because they dont show music videos anymore, and if you do want to watch a music video; I don”t want to stay up til 2 just to see new music.
monicag1 // March 2, 2007 at 8:09 pm |
Reality TV is everywhere…you pay for cable to watch something new – but guess what you get? More reality TV! I think by now, everyone wants to watch something new. Reality TV is overplayed especially on MTV. Also, MTV has “increased its product line”. There are so many other MTV channels like MTV2, Mun2, MTVU. MTV used to have one image – mainly music and videos. It has tried to diversify itself too much that now people really just brand all the channels together. One bad image of a channel carries over to all the other channels. I’m sure MTV is very popular with the teenie bopper age group (tweens) – it is most likely becuase that will be the new third generation. Maybe MTV is a step ahead of all us, knows what target to market and is already establishing its new third generation!
wilsonh1 // March 2, 2007 at 11:43 pm |
I do not think MTV’s popularity is declining, I think we are getting older and MTV’s audience is getting younger. I believe many of MTV’s reality shows have been a huge success. However I think they should stop making new reality shows each week and instead stick to the few most popular ones. Like I mentioned before I think MTV’s audience might have also shifted younger. Kids now are developing and getting exposed to different things at a younger age than even I was. My sister is 10 and she has already had an AOL screen name for 2 years, and could tell me the stars of any MTV reality show. I was not around any of this at that age. I still think MTV is still a very innovative company and channel.
jakeg2 // March 3, 2007 at 12:32 pm |
I think the type of studies that they use in order to produce MTV’s listings are the problem. They are not focused on art or comedy, and certainly not music, instead they look at what generation X’s demographic would like to see. I personally do not think that is a good idea because it does not even make an attempt at originality. Its the television equivalent of pig slop that you drop in front of them. Sometimes you have to go the extra mile in order to make your own meal but its always worth it. Golden? I know.. Mtv’s lineup could do a little better I think if they would just hire some writers instead of researchers to set up the schedule.
parkerc1 // March 5, 2007 at 5:40 pm |
MTV is declining in our generation because we have out grown it and MTV is running to catch up. They no longer have all the music that we enjoy, but instead cater to the younger age (mostly high school kids) but do so less effectively. Not to mention that almost everything that they play on that channel is getting to be ridiculous. I was at the rec center and turned on MTV hoping to watch music videos. Instead, I get a show about a spoiled 16 year old girl whose daddy gave them a $100,000 sweet 16 party. WOW
virginiag1 // April 10, 2007 at 10:14 am |
I think that the quality of MTV programming has definitely gone down in recent years. A complaint that I hear often from people about this network is that there is very little music played on a day-to-day basis. This is a problem since the network’s initials stand for Music Television. One of the main reasons they were so popular in past years was that their shows were very innovative which is not as true now. Their reality shows are becoming cheesy and old shows such as TRL have been on so long they are losing their charm and excitement. I think that their viewers have gone to online video sites such as YouTube, blogs and other television channels. If your audience is not satisfied they are going to look elsewhere. With the introduction of online entertainment such as blogs and YouTube the group of people who in any other generation would be watching MTV are focused on these websites. Also, as another commenter said, there are so many channels out there now their views are more spread out between them.
emilys1 // April 17, 2007 at 2:52 pm |
When I was younger I loved to watch MTV because of all the new music videos that were on it. Now MTV is just trash. It is full of reality TV shows including The Real World, My Super Sweet 16, and Next. I can not stand these shows that are full of drama and sex. I loved the MTV that showed musicians performing. I really think MTV viewers are tired of seeing these really corny reality shows that no one can really relate too. MTV viewers are growing up and I think MTV should too if they want to be around in generations to come.
kathleent1 // April 20, 2007 at 10:45 pm |
Now MTV just does stupid programming. Many of the shows that they run appeal to even a yougner audience, possibly tweens. They use to play actual music and decent shows. Now they have things like sweet 16 and crap. You would be lucky to even see a music video. It seems to me now that it is more about propaganda than it is about quality TV. You can only have so many stupid reality shows on one TV channel. It is almost getting out of hand. There website is also poorly set up to if you wanted to know the name of an artist that sings a song, it would almost be impossible to find. And all of the other spin off channels like MTV2 and MTVhits aren’t that great either. It seems to me like they have gotten to far away from their orginal mission.
You must be logged in to post a comment.