MTVU (formerly stylized as MtvU and mtvU) is an American digital cable television channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group, a unit of the Skydance Television division of Skydance Corporation. MTVU programming initially served 750 college and university campuses across the United States, as part of internally originated cable systems that were a part of on-campus housing or college closed-circuit television systems. In 2008, it expanded to home cable networks. Music videos played on the channel primarily consist of indie rock, pop-punk and hip-hop along with limited original programming. MTVU also launched a short-lived campus guide and social media network called Campusdailyguide.com in 2008.
In 2018, the MTV Networks on Campus group was sold by Viacom to Cheddar to launch CheddarU, but the digital cable channel remains available to the public through digital cable.
In recent years, MTVU's carriage has declined with the growth of streaming alternatives including its parent company's Paramount+, and has generally been depreciated by Paramount Skydance in current retransmission consent negotiations with cable and streaming providers.
History
MTV Networks' proposal for a channel targeting college students, tentatively called MTV University, was announced in February 2002. According to The New York Times, the channel was intended to compete with Burly Bear Network, which was available to 450 campuses and had been attracting nearly a million viewers a week, along with recently launched channels College Television Network (CTN) and Zilo.
In September 2002, with CTN having financial problems and National Lampoon's acquisition of Burly Bear, MTV Networks acquired CTN for $15 million. In 2004, CTN was rebranded as MTVU.
MTVU also formerly owned the review website Rate My Professors and acquired content management software platform for college newspapers College Publisher Network (later College Media Network) parent company Youth Media & Marketing Network (Y2M) in 2006, before selling it in 2010 to Access Network, who sold it to Uloop in 2014.
In February 2008, MTV Networks discontinued VH1 Uno, a sparsely viewed Spanish language music video channel, and replaced it with MTVU, expanding the channel into traditional cable distribution.
In May 2018, Cheddar acquired Viacom's MTV Networks on Campus; outlets associated with that service were converted to carry CheddarU, a secondary feed which streamed content from the flagship financial-news streaming service and segments from Cheddar Big News to nine million students on more than 600 campuses; universities which previously screened MTV Networks on Campus continued to receive CheddarU at no cost in exchange for access to the campus. However, the cable version of MTVU was not affected by the change and continued under an automated form. CheddarU was part of the ChedNet division of Cheddar, a division that focused on having the service available to public screens such as gyms, bars, airports, hotel and other public venues.
In 2018, Spectrum removed MTVU from their current-day packages. Only subscribers with older packages have access to the network on that provider. The channel started to air archived campus footage and interviews rather than producing new interstitials. The company has used the network and MTV Live for video premieres.
Programming According to its promotional materials from 2004 to 2018, MTVU broadcast exclusive content dedicated to aspects of college life, including music, news, and on-campus events. The channel was the first MTV network to stream all of its content online. On-campus events included the Campus Invasion tour, featuring up-and-coming bands; the GAME0Rz Ball tour, which featured new video games on campus; and Tailgate Tour, which provided MTVU with a presence at campus tailgates. MTVU shows included Dean's List, the MTVU Awards, and MTVU Spring Break.
MTVU has also played a mix of music videos with an emphasis on emerging artists and short interestistial segments focusing on college life. Previously at each hour, MTVU broadcast news updates from ABC News and formerly CBS News before the Viacom/CBS split in 2006, including international news and college-related news. MTV News also aired stories twice an hour on subjects such as music downloading, and musical artists under promotion by MTVU.
Additionally, MTVU aired several original programs produced by and featuring college students. The Freshmen featured three rotating student panelists discussing new music videos and was hosted by Kim Stolz; Stand-In featured celebrities and intellectuals teaching college classrooms for a day, including Nobel Laureates Elie Wiesel and Shimon Peres; Madonna; John McCain; Marilyn Manson; and Jhumpa Lahiri. It also operated a social networking site titled "Meet or Delete", along with Hewlett-Packard.
Awards MTVU Woodie Awards From 2004 to 2017, MTVU broadcast its own annual awards show, the MTV Woodies, which recognized "the music voted best by college students." 2005 winners include Death Cab for Cutie, Motion City Soundtrack, and The Afters; 2006 winners include Thirty Seconds to Mars, Plain White T's, mewithoutYou, The Subways and Gnarls Barkley. The 2006 ceremony was also notable for the altercation of Elijah Wood and Scott from the music blog Stereogum with Jared Leto.Best Week Ever » Blog Archive » SIZZLER: Gollum Leto Hates Hobbitses from bestweekever.tv The 2008 awards featured a fan-voted category for local college bands called the Best Music On Campus award, where The Bride Wore Black won the award and Chasing Arrows was the runner-up. Winners at the 2008 Woodie Awards included Paramore and There for Tomorrow. Winners at the 2009 Woodie Awards included Green Day, Kings of Leon, Matt and Kim, Never Shout Never, Tech N9ne and Hotel of the Laughing Tree. Winners at the 2014 Woodie Awards included Beyoncé, Drake, Ed Sheeran, and Skrillex. Fall Out Boy became the first inductees at "Hall of Wood" at the 2015 Woodie Awards. They had won the Streaming Woodie award for "Grand Theft Autumn" at the first ceremony in 2004.
Awards for students The online game Darfur is Dying was developed as part of an MTVU contest, and other Sudan conflict coverage won MTVU two Emmys, including the 2006 Governors Award. Its Half of Us initiative won a Peabody Award in 2007, "for its extensive research and dedication to fighting depression and creating quick routes to convenient solutions." MTVU also provided grants for student activists, donating $1,000 a week to various student groups. MTVU formerly co-sponsored the ecomagination Challenge with GE, which aimed to empower college students to solve environmental problems on campuses. MTVU also sponsored the Film Your Issue competition, a competition designed to encourage college-age filmmakers to make short political pieces, and aired the winners.
Other opportunities that MTVU provided for college students include Digital Incubator grants, which awarded students who were pioneering the future of broadband content, and the Student Filmmaker Award, which provided the winner with the chance to receive a development deal with MTVU and receive the award at the MTV Movie Awards. Along with these competitions, MTVU made efforts to use student work through its programming.
Winners Woodie of the Year 2004: Modest Mouse – "Float On" 2005: My Chemical Romance 2006: Angels & Airwaves 2007: Gym Class Heroes 2008: Paramore 2009: Kings of Leon 2011: Wiz Khalifa – "Black and Yellow" 2012: Mac Miller 2013: Machine Gun Kelly 2014: Drake 2015: Porter Robinson 2017: The Chainsmokers Breaking Woodie 2004: The Killers – "Somebody Told Me" 2005: Motion City Soundtrack 2006: Plain White T's 2007: Boys Like Girls 2008: Afterhour 2009: Never Shout Never 2011: Two Door Cinema Club 2012: Machine Gun Kelly 2013: Earl Sweatshirt 2014: The 1975 Left Field Woodie 2004: N.E.R.D. – "Maybe" 2005: MewithoutYou 2006: Gnarls Barkley 2007: Madvillain 2008: Chromeo 2009: Tech N9ne 2011: Kanye West Good Woodie 2004: Sum 41 2005: U2 2006: Serj Tankian 2007: Guster 2008: Jack's Mannequin 2009: Jamie Tworkowski Road Woodie 2004: Coheed and Cambria 2005: Fall Out Boy 2006: Taking Back Sunday Streaming Woodie 2004: Fall Out Boy – "Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy" 2005: The Afters – "Beautiful Love" 2006 - O.A.R. – "Love and Memories" Welcome Back Woodie 2004: Incubus Soundtrack of My Life Woodie 2004: Coheed and Cambria - In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 The Sophomore Jump Woodie 2004: Taking Back Sunday – "A Decade Under the Influence" The Silent But Deadly Woodie 2004: Modest Mouse – "Float On" Best Video Woodie 2005: Gorillaz – "Feel Good Inc." (Best Video Woodie - Animation) 2005: Death Cab for Cutie – "Title and Registration" (Best Video Woodie - Live Action) 2006: Gorillaz – "El Mañana" (Best Video Woodie - Animation) 2006: Thirty Seconds to Mars – "The Kill" (Best Video Woodie - Live Action) 2007: Say Anything – "Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too" 2008: Motion City Soundtrack – "It Had to Be You" 2009: Matt and Kim – "Lessons Learned" 2011: Chiddy Bang – "Opposite of Adults" 2012: Best Coast – "Our Deal" 2013: Danny Brown – "Grown Up" 2014: Chance the Rapper, Saba and BJ the Chicago Kid – "Everybody's Something" 2015: Childish Gambino – "Sober" International Woodie 2005: Muse 2006: The Subways Alumni Woodie 2005: Green Day 2006: AFI 2007: Spoon Performing Woodie 2007: Muse 2008: Atmosphere 2009: Green Day 2011: Matt and Kim 2012: Mac Miller 2014: Ed Sheeran Best Music On Campus Woodie 2008: The Bride Wore Black 2009: Hotel of the Laughing Tree College Radio Woodie 2009: KUPS (University of Puget Sound) 2010: WICB (Ithaca College) 2011: WVUM (University of Miami) 2012: WASU-FM (Appalachian State University) 2013: KSUA (University of Alaska Fairbanks) 2014: WESS (East Stroudsburg University) 2015: WPTS-FM (University of Pittsburgh)
EDM Effect Woodie 2012: Calvin Harris and Rihanna – "We Found Love" Fomo Woodie 2013: The Weeknd Tag Team Woodie 2013: Kimbra, Mark Foster and A-Trak – "Warrior" Branching Out Woodie 2013: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Chevrolet Sonic Collage Artist Woodie 2013: The Lonely Biscuits Cover Woodie 2014: Bastille – "We Can't Stop" (Miley Cyrus) 2015: Taylor Swift – "Riptide" (Vance Joy) 2017: Ed Sheeran – "Touch" (Little Mix) Did It My Way Woodie 2014: Beyoncé Best Collaboration Woodie 2014: ASAP Rocky, Skrillex and Birdy Nam Nam – "Wild for the Night" Woodie to Watch 2015: Years & Years 2017: Khalid Co-Sign Woodie 2015: Hoodie Allen and Ed Sheeran – "All About It" Next Level Performance Woodie 2015: Childish Gambino Social Climber Woodie 2015: Jack & Jack Woodie Songwriter of the Year 2017: PartyNextDoor
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