Project MTV: MTV: Music Television.

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  

Prologue:

MTV: Music Television.

That is the full name of MTV, but for so long, the brand has ignored its first name and barely focused on its last name. With one show largely dominating the bulk of the lineup, the network has seen better days.  So, for a brand that once dominated the cultural landscape, how do you adapt for modern audiences?

You remember who the hell you are. You remember that you used to be a rebel. You remember that you didn’t play by the rules of the status quo. You take risks, experiment, make mistakes, learn from them, and do something new. You go to where the people are. 

You clean up your damn house because you’re an adult and shouldn’t live like a slob.

You remember what your full name is and reclaim it.

MTV: Music Television.

And let’s get this out of the way:

MTV should play music programming. Not once a year. Every day. This is not a controversial statement nor should it be. 

MTV should also be an entertainment network not totally reliant on music videos. This also shouldn’t be a controversial statement to make.

MTV can be both, and it should be. 

I feel that the linear MTV network should begin its day with music and end its day with music. I believe that music should be a core part of MTV’s identity. Weekday mornings should begin with a regular morning show with hit videos and entertainment and pop culture news. 

Say good morning to AM MTV.

From 6 AM to 9 AM E/P every morning (with the best of the week airing on weekends), AM MTV t's lively and light, not bogged down with global and political talk. Using the resources of Entertainment Tonight and CBS News, AM MTV is something akin to a morning drive radio show. 

AM MTV will not only air live on MTV but also will stream live on Paramount+ as well. Additionally, an audio simulcast version will also air on various audio streaming platforms, including YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, TuneIn, Audacity, and IHeartRadio. 

AM MTV would be one of the marquee series of the rebranded MTV and would kick off the day for many young adult audiences.

When that’s over, you have a pair of music video blocks before we deviate from music for a while to get a little real with the late-morning block simply known as MTV Real and a pair of Ridiculousness episodes to spice up the insanity.

Then, around 3 PM E/P, you have Fresh Out Playlist, a two-hour block of videos for the after-school crowd. No requests, all hits, and a rotating set of VJs hosting each episode with interviews and performances in nice social media-sized bites on the official YouTube channel as well as Spotify. Then at 5 PM E/P, The Challenge airs every afternoon to pump up the adrenaline.

From 6 to 8 PM, a trio of sitcoms. The Brownstone pairs Living Single with Friends while The Big Bang Theory doubles up at 7 PM. 

8 PM has a double dose of Ridiculousness in primetime. 9 PM will have a random assortment of MTV favorites throughout the week. Yes, Ridiculousness is still on the MTV lineup. It's just not dominating 90% of the lineup.

Then we get back to the 10 Spot. 

‘90s fans may recognize that brand from the past, and the purpose of this revival is the same as it was back then. The 10 Spot will be an hour-long block of MTV premieres. Some are new while others are new-to-MTV, and this will be on Mondays through Fridays. 

Following the 10 Spot is MTV’s animation block, Liquid TV, a two-hour block of fan favorite cartoons, including some you haven’t seen on MTV like Duckman and Star Trek: Lower Decks, which would have its linear television debut on MTV. 

On Fridays, MTV fully returns to its roots with a weekly two-hour music video show with a very familiar name. The MTV Top 20 Video Countdown will showcase the hottest videos of the week as well as recapping the week in music. 

Later in the night, classic MTV fare from the past will be entertain night owls on Radio Star Matinee. And music closes out the night with an encore of Fresh Out Playlist on weeknights. 

A fully balanced lineup for MTV on weekdays.

Weekends will have just as much variety as well. 

Weekend afternoons at 3 PM E/P would have The Orange Couch. Teen-friendly shows from that kids' network with a lot of slime… you know the place. More recent fare from that network would be a part of MTV, but don’t be too shocked if you see a few blasts from the past, including some music-based sitcoms. 

I'll talk about The Orange Couch later on.

At 6 PM, the MTV Big Movie Show. Two different movies every weekend. No repeat airings. 104 different films a year. No pressure. All hits. Just get some popcorn and chill.

After midnight, MTV has a little musical fun. On Saturdays, you get a taste of MTV Palladia with some concerts and recent performances from today’s top artists followed by MTV AMP, your weekly EDM destination. Sundays has 120 Minutes of pure alternative music followed by a double bill of Duckman. Yeah, the foul-mouthed private dick would hate me for saying that. Weekends close out with Insomniac Music Theater. Nothing but pure music variety. Anything goes.  

And that’s how you reinvent MTV’s linear lineup. 

In summary, these are the improvements I’d make:

• Create/revive four music video-centric shows, AM MTV (mornings), Fresh Out Playlist (mid-afternoons), The MTV Top 20 Video Countdown (Friday late-night), and 120 Minutes (Sunday late-night). Each show would also stream on Paramount+. AM MTV and Fresh Out Playlist would stream live while Top 20 and 120 Minutes would stream next day on Paramount+. All will have audio versions available across various audio platforms. 
• Move the Videos We Heart and Mega Mix video blocks from NickMusic to MTV. 
• Revive MTV AMP and Insomniac Music Theater as a weekend-only overnight video blocks.
• Revive the 10 Spot block as a weeknight premiere destination.
• Revive the Liquid TV brand as an umbrella for animated programming on MTV on weeknights. I'll go into full details later on.
• Create a weekend afternoon teen-oriented block built up with teen-friendly Nickelodeon and TeenNick shows (but definitely no SpongeBob SquarePants or other shows aimed towards kids)
• Create a Saturday late-night concert/performance block of programming under the MTV Palladia Presents banner.
• Roll back encore airings of Ridiculousness to about six half-hour episodes a day maximum. 

This is just the beginning of the rebranding of MTV. 

A radical redefinition of what the brand represents with a greater emphasis on music programming balanced out with entertainment. 

As for how to expand that, that’s where the other three channel brands come in.

And we start with the generations that defined MTV and create a network for them.