MTV is attempting to pull out all of the stops leading up to the 2025 Video Music Awards.
In a move to celebrate the network’s legacy, reps on Friday announced that current and classic music videos will begin airing on Monday for 24 hours a day until the ceremony the following Sunday.
The videos will play on MTV2, MTV Live, MTV Classic and the Pluto channel “MTV Biggest Pop.”
Unfortunately, the treasure trove of clips will not air on the flagship channel itself — which has been relegated to running reruns of reality shows, comedy movies and canceled sitcoms.
The marathon will feature a lineup more than 700 music videos, many airing for the first time in over a decade. The content will be clustered into 12 themed categories:
- “Best of the 1980s”
- “Best of the 1990s”
- “TRL No. 1s”
- “Most Headline-Worthy Videos”
- “Craziest Videos of All Time”
- “Most Scandalous Videos”
- “Best Celebrity Cameos”
- “Most VMA Victories”
- “Bank-Breaking Videos,” shining light on the most expensive productions
- “Videos That Go Bump in the Night,” featuring scary content
- “Videos That Make Us Howl,” starring animals
- “The Birth of MTV,” with videos that aired on Aug. 1, 1981, the day MTV was launched
Former MTV mainstays Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Madonna, Eminem, Michael Jackson, the Backstreet Boys, Justin Timberlake and *NSYNC are among the nine artists with the most videos being played during the marathon.
Mariah Carey, who’s slated to receive this year’s Video Vanguard Award, will have nine videos aired throughout the week.
The last time MTV consistently played music videos as part of its regular schedule was in the early 2000s, though videos continued to air on “Total Request Live” until the show was canceled in 2008.
For the first time ever, the MTV VMAs will air on CBS. The show, set for Sunday, Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. ET, will be broadcast live from UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. Hosted by LL Cool J, the ceremony will also be simulcast on MTV and stream on Paramount+.
