MTV Fluxed

So, the bright, shiny multiplatform MTV Flux - the new channel which MTV killed VH2 for - has flopped badly.

How badly?

So badly, it's being dumped in favour of a timeshifted version of MTV One.

MTV is trying to spin the retreat from the idea of a channel based on user-generated content as some sort of step forward:

The company intends to keep the MTV Flux online community alive and integrate the user-generated content concept into its MTV-branded music channels.

Music channels MTV2, Base, Hits and Dance will begin to offer a weekly 30-minute show, with the working title Flux Me I'm Famous, that will cover the most popular celebrity news stories discussed by the online community.

Clearly, though, this is a terrible flop for MTV's strategy of merging TV and video, and should be a warning to anyone who thinks that you can easily strap together a web 2.0 community and a linear TV channel. Eh, BBC Three?

Viacom cuts means no more faces on MTV2 US

The difficult times for pop music TV on both sides of the Atlantic continue; nobody in the UK is watching MTVFlux and the channel is starting to come across like Why Don't You:

This is the show that gives you the chance to be on the telly! If you have an interesting hobby or story that you want to share with Flux viewers, this is your chance.

That's five programmes a day where you can talk about your interesting hobbies. They especially want to hear from you if you are the best at hobbies. Weak lemon drinks at the ready.

In America, the cost crunch has led MTV2 to drop presenters, voiceovers and interviews altogether. Now, the idea of a channel which is videos, videos, nothing but videos is quite appealing - but does raise the question of what, exactly, MTV brings to the party that twenty minutes on YouTube doesn't already offer?