Isle of MTV concert in Malta to continue despite channel closures

There are no plans to stop the annual Isle of MTV music event in Malta, organisers said on Sunday, as some channels of the global music brand prepare to stop showing rolling music videos.

“The Isle of MTV concert will continue. We have already begun some preparations for next year’s summer event,” Owen Spiteri, founder of G7 Events, told Times of Malta.

He said MTV remains a strong and recognisable brand and while some of its channels are closing down, its main channel will remain on Maltese, European and global television sets.

On Sunday, AFP reported that MTV is winding down international music broadcasting by the end of the year as it struggles to compete with online streaming and social media.

MTV Music, MTV Hits and its 80s and 90s music shows will be shut down in the UK and other European countries in the coming months, they said.

The show is held in Malta under an agreement with the Malta Tourism Authority, which views it as a means of attracting young tourists to the island. Viewership numbers are important for Malta’s promotion.

MTA CEO Carlo Micallef said the Malta Tourism Authority has been “actively following news about the reported music channel closures”.

He said the MTA has already had talks in London with representatives of Paramount Skydance – MTV’s parent company.

“At this time there are changes happening in the industry, and while it is confirmed that MTV shall close some of its secondary channels by end of 2025, this follows a strategic review in the company.”

He also referred to reports that Paramount Skydance is looking at major acquisitions that could extensively widen its media reach, if they go through.

He said the MTA will “continue monitoring these developments and discussing with the counterparties to ensure that the obligations in the Isle of MTV agreement are delivered”.

Paramount Media and the Maltese government have a contractual agreement until 2027. In that agreement, Paramount is obliged to hold the concert with artists that the MTA agrees to.

The Isle of MTV concert must also be filmed and broadcast.

The MTV concert was first held in Malta at the Floriana Granaries almost 20 years ago, in 2007. Back then, Akon, Maroon 5 and Enrique Iglesias, all at the pinnacle of their careers, headlined the concert.

Alok, Damiano David and Ella Henderson were 2025’s main performers.

James Hyman, who directed and produced MTV Europe’s dance music shows in the 1990s, said MTV thrived before the internet was ubiquitous.

“It was so exciting, because that’s mainly all people had,” he said.

Kirsty Fairclough, a professor of screen studies at Manchester Metropolitan University, said the conditions that made MTV “revolutionary” simply “don’t exist anymore”.

The rise of digital streaming platforms like YouTube and TikTok has “completely refigured how we engage with music and images,” said the researcher on popular culture.

Viewers or listeners now expect “immediacy” and “interactivity” that sitting in front of the television to watch rolling music videos cannot provide, she added.