Project MTV: Presenting MTV Palladia

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 Live is not a channel that airs live programming. There are no VJs presenting videos on-air. There are no live concerts or performances. 

The name doesn’t make sense. The channel itself is a treasure trove of musical performances from the past as well as showcases of newer acts on stage. 

Shakespeare once wrote “All the world’s a stage,” so MTV should reinvent MTV Live as a proper showcase for musical performances out of the video box and resurrect a familiar brand they honed yet threw away for no reason at all. It was a bold brand that showcased music from all kinds of bands and performers. We could resurrect that brand right now.

This is the home of music. 

This is MTV Palladia.

MTV Palladia is the world stage for the greatest musical acts of the past and present as well as a showcase for future icons. MTV Palladia would be the home of concerts big and small. Intimate concerts like the legendary MTV Unplugged and VH1 Storytellers. Performances from the past from shows that set the temperature of the music world like Soul Train, The Midnight Special, Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert, Solid Gold, and Austin City Limits. Breakout performances from award shows like the Grammys, the American Music Awards, The BET Awards, and, of course, the MTV Video Music Awards. And let’s not forget when artists played in front of their fans on shows like The Arsenio Hall Show, 106 & Park, and Total Request Live.  

MTV Palladia would be a showcase of live performances from the distant past and the recent past. But what about today? That’s where a vital partnership should be forged with an internationally known producer of music programming. One who is still actively producing new music-oriented shows and live performances as well as have a vast library largely unseen in the United States.

MTV should build a partnership with the BBC.

The BBC has a strong legacy of music entertainment and is probably one of the few international outlets that has a massive library of music programming like Top of the Pops, The Old Grey Whistle Test, and Later… with Jools Holland, which is (at the time of this writing, September 2025) still in production. 

In addition, BBC Music produces original content rarely seen and heard in the United States as well as airing performances from various musical festivals across the United Kingdom, including the Glastonbury Festival, T in the Park, the Reading and Leeds Festivals, and others.  

While these are currently unknown by most viewers in the United States, I feel that the programs from BBC Music could be a vital component of the new MTV rebrand, especially given how BBC’s current North American partner, AMC Networks, has all but erased the British-ness  from BBC America. A majority of BBC Music programming would air under the MTV Palladia banner both on linear television and on streaming platforms, including Pluto TV and Paramount+, the latter of which would air live same-day festival coverage as well as serve as the exclusive North American home for programs like Later… with Jools Holland and the BBC Proms.

Yes, MTV Palladia would have a little class and air classical music in the US from time to time, including this annual British tradition. 

Building a strong international relationship with the BBC would not only strengthen MTV’s music library but also expand BBC Music’s programming beyond the UK in a lot of markets, especially in the US.  

A strong library of musical performances, acquiring broadcast and streaming rights to iconic music shows, and forming a partnership with an international partner.

MTV Palladia is THE home of Music.

But if you need a cozy place that celebrates the culture of music beyond videos, there's a club you should know about.

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