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The rise and fall of MTV

The network that made Michael Jackson a god never made money playing music — it printed cash from reality TV instead.
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By The Numbers

$400M
revenue at peak
40%
profit margin on revenue
37%
US households reached today

What They Nailed Early

Built the first 24-hour music video channel and became the cultural gatekeeper for youth. By 1992, hit $400M revenue with 40% margins — one of the best businesses in media history.

What Changed

The internet killed the monoculture. YouTube made music on-demand in 2005, erasing MTV's value as a music curator. Cable subscriptions peaked in 2010 and collapsed. MTV's core youth audience abandoned TV entirely for streaming and social media.

Where it Landed

Stopped playing music January 2026. Viewership cratered 50% among core demo. Now ranked 55th out of 153 cable channels. A ghost of its former self.

The Principles

1. 
Follow the money, not the myth. MTV made its fortune on reality TV, not music videos — what audiences say they want and what they actually watch are different.
2. 
Distribution monopolies don't last. When the internet democratized access to music and video, MTV's gatekeeper power evaporated overnight.
3. 
Cost-cutting is a death spiral. Running the same cheap clip show 113 hours a week kept profits up short-term but accelerated audience exodus long-term.

Builder's Takeaway

If your moat is distribution, watch for:
• 
New platforms that let audiences bypass you entirely
• 
The gap between what customers say and what they actually consume
• 
Cost-cutting that preserves margins but kills long-term relevance
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