Launch
MTV Southeast Asia was officially launched on 5 May 1995 at 8:00 p.m. Singapore Time (SGT) [1] [2] as a 24-hour English-language music channel, broadcasting from Singapore and available across Southeast Asia, including territories such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Simultaneously, MTV Southeast Asia and its sister channel MTV Indonesia were launched via the Palapa C2 digital satellite. The channel was originally scheduled to launch in the last quarter of 1994. [3]
Headquartered at Shenton Way, the channel operated as a joint venture with Polygram. At the time of its launch, MTV Southeast Asia had secured 31 advertisers, while its Mandarin-language counterpart had 16, generating revenues described as being in the "hundreds of thousands". [4]
By 1997, the channel had a team of 30 video jockeys (VJs), with plans to expand the roster further. [5]
From 1 May 2021 to 1 September 2022, MTV Southeast Asia reduced its original programming to an 8-hour block, airing from 4:00 p.m. to 12:00 midnight (SGT). During the remaining hours, from 12:00 midnight to 4:00 p.m. (SGT), the channel simulcast content from its sister network, MTV Live. This change reflected a shift in programming strategy to focus more on music content and reduce entertainment programming.
Closure
As part of a restructuring by Paramount Networks EMEAA, MTV Asia began ceasing operations in several territories. In Singapore, the channel was discontinued on StarHub TV on 29 April 2022, following StarHub's review of its content offerings and the launch of MTV Asia On Demand. [6]
MTV Asia officially ceased broadcasting after 27 years. It was replaced by MTV Live on platforms such as Astro, Unifi TV, and I-Cable, while other providers began carrying MTV 90s. [7] However, its digital platforms have remained operational through its official YouTube channel and various social media accounts.
