Photo: Yvonne Hemsey (Getty Images)
MTV celebrated its 35th birthday yesterday by launching MTV Classic, a new channel that looks at its past. MTV Classic is technically a rebrand from VH1 Classic and features programming from the music channel’s golden age (‘1980’s, 1990’s and early 2000’s). The appeal to nostalgia marks the return of Beavis & Butt-Head (f@ck yeah!), Laguna Beach (FML!) and endless Beastie Boys’ videos, check out “Sabotage” in case you forgot.
The programming changes make good on the promise that new MTV President Sean Atkins made in April at TV’s annual upfront market when he said they were going to “put the M back in MTV.” In addition to MTV Classic, a new weekly live music performance series, “Wonderland” and a re-imagining of “MTV Unplugged” are planned.
Makeovers are nothing new for the Viacom-owned network that revolutionized cable, music and pop culture, but has struggled to stay relevant in a day and age when people are more likely to say “I want my Snapchat” instead of their MTV.
