Programmer Launches Free Music Video Site After Channel Closure

A programmer who goes by FlexasurusRex built MTV Rewind, giving anyone access to over 27,000 music videos spanning five decades. The site went live after Paramount shut down music-only channels in several countries on Dec. 31, 2025.

The web app taps into YouTube playlists and offers nine channels. Viewers can pick MTV 1st Day, decade-based options from the '70s through the 2020s, or genre picks like Yo! MTV Raps and Headbangers Ball.

FlexasurusRex cranked out the site in just 48 hours once news broke about the closures. "MTV was a cultural institution that changed music, fashion, and youth culture. Then they stopped showing music videos and became reality TV," FlexasurusRex posted on Farcaster.

You can't pick individual videos, but you can skip ahead or back. Old-school commercials from brands like Rainier Beer pop up between clips. A shuffle button throws random videos at you from any decade.

With no ads, no algorithms, and no login screens, just pick your era or genre and start watching. Triple-click the logo to bookmark clips you want to see again.

Paramount Skydance killed music channels in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Poland, France, Hungary, Australia, and Brazil at the close of 2025. MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV, and MTV Live all went dark in the UK. The main channel remains live, airing reality shows.

The network debuted in the United States back in 1981 with the video "Video Killed The Radio Star" by The Buggles. Europe got its version in 1987, while the UK received a dedicated station a decade later.

YouTube and social media have changed how people watch music videos. The main UK station dropped music videos in 2011.