Music Television

MTV is the world's most well known and oldest music television channel. The channel was launched on August 1st 1981. On the date of it's launch, before the first music video by The Buggles came on, the words "Ladies and Gentlemen, lets rock and roll" were spoken by the channel's founder, John Lack. At the beginning MTV's main success was due to the availability of low-cost programming in the form of music videos. this was also beneficial to the record companies aswell because it was a way of promoting their artists music, therefore were happy to give MTV cheap deals.

Music videos were constantly being shown, one after another. Clips would usually be repeated from time to time, however this would be according to a light, medium or heavy "rotation" schedule.

If a particular music video or genere of music (soft rock and other 'adult' music) did not attract the intended audience of mtv then it ended up going on vh1 (video hits 1), which is a second channel that mtv owns. This launched in 1985; the channel quickly gained its own audience - completely different to mtv's audience, and gained a reputation as 'video valium' for yuppies. Other than that, the channel has not had the same amount of success as mtv, and in some ways has no specific character; as a result vh1 was only half as successful as mtv. In the latter years vh1 slowly became successful, especially in 1994. By 1994 the channel began to play slightly harder music and showing "breaking" artists.
However, with all the competition put aside, both vh1 and mtv are now by far the most successful music channels in America to date. Many other competing channels have since fallen by the wayside.

Music video channels have become part an integral of our lives. With different mtv channels starting globally it has made it one of the biggest companies in the world. With channels in Asia, MTV Europe, MTV Latino and many more. MTV has had major changes in entertainment and the industry. By merging music with television in a new way, it has transformed both industry leading them both to big futures.