MTV’s global music channels may no longer be around as of the end of 2025, but the dream of an endless stream of classic music videos remains. No, we’re not talking about the weird iteration of MuchMusic that showed up on UHF bands in the early 2000s; instead, this version of MTV in its prime is just a browser window away.
More specifically, several versions of MTV are just a browser window away. This comes via MTV Rewind, which, according to its page on Product Hunt, was “[b]uilt in 48 hours as a passion project.” The site has different channels — including “MTV First Day,” “120 Minutes” and “Live Aid 1985” — that bring up videos from YouTube that fit thematically with that channel. For instance, tuning in to the “MTV2” channel results in videos from The Vines, They Might Be Giants and The Clash.
Some channels work better than others. At the time that I tested this out, the “MTV Unplugged” channel brought up Nirvana’s recording of “All Apologies” from the actual MTV Unplugged, as well as an acoustic Noel Gallagher performance, but also Austin City Limits songs by Foo Fighters and Nick Cave that featured plenty of electric instruments. On the other hand, this is a passion project made available freely, so expecting perfection might be missing the point.
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Americans will have to wait a little longerWhat’s less clear is how long this service will last. Statistics on Product Hunt suggest that people are tuning in, which is great — there are, after all, a lot of great music videos out there — but the project’s website suggests that it was made by someone with an enthusiasm for MTV’s heyday as opposed to an officially sanctioned corporate tie-in. In other words, enjoy this while it lasts, because it may not endure forever, at least not in its current form. But it’s certainly a sign that there’s still an audience for all music videos, all the time.
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