MTV has announced it will rebrand VH1 Classic as MTV Classic. MTV Classic will feature an eclectic mix of fan-favorite MTV series and music programming drawn from across its rich history, with a special focus on the 1990s and early 2000s. The rebrand takes effect on Monday, August 1st – 35 years to the day that MTV first debuted – at 6 a.m. when MTV Classic will air MTV Hour One, MTV’s first hour of programming from 1981.
“From Beavis & Butt-head to Laguna Beach, MTV’s programming vault is a music and pop culture goldmine with universal resonance,” said Sean Atkins, President of MTV. “MTV Classic gives audiences a modern and artful home for classic MTV programming and — alongside MTV, MTV2, MTV Live and mtvU — rounds out a diverse portfolio with music and youth culture at its core.”
“MTV’s programming vault is a music and pop culture goldmine with universal resonance.”
On Monday, August 1st, MTV Classic will again re-air MTV Hour One at 12 p.m. ET before airing the Total Request Live retrospective The TRL Decade. Following will be a marathon of some of the most memorable episodes of MTV Unplugged – many of which haven’t aired in years – including artists Bob Dylan, Alice In Chains, Erykah Badu, Oasis, Neil Young, Nirvana and more, that will lead into a primetime animated programming block including Daria, Beavis & Butt-head and Aeon Flux. MTV Hour One will also air on MTV’s Facebook page via Facebook Live.
At launch, the network will feature primetime “from the vault” programming blocks Mondays through Thursdays from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. that will include series such as Daria, Beavis & Butt-head, Aeon Flux, Run’s House, Pimp My Ride, Cribs, Jackass, Punk’d, Wonder Showzen, Clone High and more. Every Friday, MTV Classic will feature classic music series in primetime including MTV Unplugged, Storytellers, live music performances and more. On the weekends, the network will serve up binge-worthy marathons of fan favorites including full seasons of The Real World, Laguna Beach, Road Rules and more.
Additionally, MTV Classic will continue to run movies, concerts and music videos from the past that speak to the last three decades of music.