Project MTV: License to Survive

Writer's Note: I am not, nor will I ever expect to be associated with and employed by MTV and its parent company, Paramount Skydance. This is part of #projectmtv, a fan-made MTV rebranding project. This is not happening in any form, but it's fun to dream. - jh  

Paramount Skydance’s music television library is already one of the most impressive in the industry. Paramount owns to collective archives of MTV, VH1, CMT, and BET, including every music series, every interview segment, and every live musical performance that has ever aired on those channels.  

Shows like 120 Minutes, Week in Rock, Headbangers Ball, Video Soul, Rap City, Yo! MTV Raps, Behind the Music, MTV Unplugged, VH1 Storytellers, CMT Crossroads, BET Soulstage, 106 & Park, and Total Request Live should all be fixtures across the new MTV. 

Yes, I do believe that BET’s music programming has as much a place at MTV as VH1 or CMT. The whole “separate-but-equal” mentality within Paramount is ridiculous. Having BET programming on other Paramount streaming outlets is a must, especially given the fact that VH1, which is also under the BET umbrella, has numerous shows on Pluto TV and Paramount+. Limiting them to BET and BET+ just doesn’t work, and the musical legacy of BET deserves to be on equal ground and share space with MTV, and not just on a separate platform.

The CBS Studios library also includes iconic music-oriented shows like Soul Train and Solid Gold as well as performances from The Arsenio Hall Show.

All of these library assets should be remastered for digital distribution and archival prosperity. Having them air under the MTV brand would more than solidify their place in music history. This would truly make MTV the premier destination for music television.

While it’s not necessary in the initial relaunch purposes, perhaps MTV could be seen as a prime music destination not only in the United States but potentially globally. I already mentioned a potential partnership with BBC Music, and I still feel that they would be a great partner with the MTV rebrand. That said, MTV should pursue even more partners and acquire additional music shows. 

While acquiring libraries outright shouldn’t necessarily be in the cards for the MTV brand, licensing the following show libraries for linear, streaming, and FAST distribution across the MTV brands domestically would go a long way into making MTV the ultimate showcase for music television:

Austin City Limits (Having commercial broadcast and streaming rights to more episodes of this iconic 50-year-old PBS stalwart, which had previously aired on MTV Live, would be an incredible acquisition, but having MTV financial underwriter for the Austin PBS-produced series would be a great public relations and brand-building move)

The Midnight Special (One of the greatest music programs ever produced, Burt Sugarman’s legendary showcase presented a who’s who in pop music, and the fact MTV never picked it up on any of their channels in the past seems maddening and should be a major priority for the new MTV brand.)

Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert (Much like The Midnight Special, this was another pioneering music program that also showcased some of the biggest music stars of the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. This would be another solid addition to the MTV library of shows.)

Later… with Jools Holland (having one of the world’s premiere music interview shows under the MTV umbrella again would be a marquee acquisition from the BBC that would stand out on MTV Palladia and on streaming platforms in the US)

The Old Grey Whistle Test (another BBC music series, OGWT was one of the most eclectic music shows ever produced. Much in the same ways as The Midnight Special and Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert, this acclaimed series remains a time capsule that showcases some the era’s boldest and iconoclastic musicians. It would be an incredible acquisition for MTV Palladia and the streamers in the US) 

American Bandstand (one of the longest shots, but licensing Dick Clark’s legendary music showcase and having it air in its original format would be a major get for MTV Palladia and MTV Generation, and having it on streaming platforms for the first time would definitely bring in more eyeballs to what MTV is doing)

Another long-shot acquisition? The musical performances from Saturday Night Live. SNL has been on and off syndication throughout its 50+ year run, and while NBC Universal, which owns the series, has created various packages with and without the musical performances, they never offered the music acts on their own without the rest of the series. 

Currently, Peacock has exclusive streaming rights to various SNL episodes and has a stand-alone SNL Vault FAST channel, the latter of which doesn’t have music performances at all, but if MTV could acquire a package of just the music acts, that would be a major coup. It’s more of a long shot than getting American Bandstand, so that idea would have to be on the backburner for the time being. 

And with this, some answers to questions you may have and my closing thoughts.