MTV didn’t stop playing music videos to sell out; they did it to survive.

If MTV played a video that a viewer didn’t like, they changed the channel and might not come back until the next day.

People aren’t nostalgic for “all” music videos; they’re nostalgic for “their” favorite music videos.

Reality TV was MTV’s answer. The early ratings for 1992’s debut of The Real World were through the roof. The rest is history.

MTV proved it could thrive without relying on music videos. Its current fade in relevance is more about broader programming decisions and missed opportunities, not because it stopped playing music videos 24/7.

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