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For the second consecutive year, the MTV Movie & TV Awards will not occur, with the network announcing there will be no 2025 iteration of the once-iconic show. The decision represents an extended break for the franchise, which initially launched in 1992 and was a decades-long pop culture staple.
The program was already relegated in 2024, after MTV made a commitment to have a new format after the 2023 program had been derailed. The event for the year was thwarted by the Writers Guild of America strike when the network was forced to switch from live to pre-taped coverage after host Drew Barrymore dropped out in solidarity with writers on strike.
Despite good ratings for the 2023 season, MTV has left the show on ice for now. According to Deadline, the network still plans to come back to the show’s future, but no timeline is given. “Plans for the future will be announced once they’re set,” the publication was told by an insider.
The ceremony first appeared as the MTV Movie Awards, with a less formal, more irreverent atmosphere compared to more traditional Hollywood awards like the Oscars and Golden Globes. MTV expanded the format in 2017 to include TV categories, in a move to reflect the popularity of prestige and streaming television within popular culture.
Following a solid opening to the summer blockbuster season, the show’s recent instability reflects broader trends in entertainment viewing and award show fatigue. Ratings for award ceremonies have declined across the board in recent years, and networks are increasingly questioning the expense and relevance of such programming.
MTV’s hesitation to comment on a 2025 format revamp suggests that the network may be questioning whether or not the awards remain culturally relevant in a fragmented media landscape. With fewer megamovie and television events holding large numbers of people together, the idea of a mainstream, youth-centric celebration may no longer hold the same level of power that it once did.
For now, the future of the MTV Movie & TV Awards is up in the air. Whether it returns in some form or becomes a bittersweet memory depends on if MTV can reenvision it for a time when it’s more desirable to go viral than to win awards.
