The Rise And Fall Of Channel V: A Timeline

News came to light this morning that Channel [V] as we know it would be wrapping up their 20 year journey on our tellies, changing the landscape of Australian music television as we know it.

Here's an in-depth look at Channel [V] since its inception in 1995. 

1995

Channel [V] began under the name Red in 1995 on the now defunct Galaxy service.

1997

Name change to Channel [V] comes into place after owners XYZ Entertainment (now xyznetworks) came into agreement over naming rights with Channel [V] International.

2000

musicMAX is launched.

2004

VH1 is launched. musicMAX rebranded as MAX. Foxtel launches Foxtel Digital. A second [V] branded channel is launched dubbed Club [V].

2007

Club [V] rebranded as Channel [V]².

2009

Channel [V]² is relaunched as [V] Hits.

2010

MTV Networks in Australia confirms that VH1 received fewer viewers each week than its sister channel MTV Australia. VH1 is discontinued and relaunched as MTV Classic.

2011

[V] Loud, a program dedicated to metal, punk and hardcore, is launched.

2012

[V] Buzz Artist, a program aiming to profile artists on the rise, is launched.

2013

Foxtel Smooth is launched. It is announced that MTV Classic and MTV Hits will no longer be available on Foxtel. They continue to be offered by Australian IPTV service FetchTV. MTV Music replaces MTV Hits.

2015

Programming dispute causes Foxtel Music to pull all Universal and EMI artists from their music channels. 

2016

Channel [V] officially merges with [V] Hits, ending all long-form content and ending a 20 year run on Australian television.