Some products, in hindsight, seem like they were immediately destined for success. Take dishwashers, automobiles, or light bulbs—each created a dema

Everyone thought MTV would fail when it first debuted 40 years ago, but it didn't. Here's why.

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2021-05-14 15:15:06

Some products, in hindsight, seem like they were immediately destined for success. Take dishwashers, automobiles, or light bulbs—each created a demand for a product that hadn’t existed before, except in inferior incarnations. Once people knew about these significant upgrades in convenience, speed, or reliability, success and profit was assured.

On August 1, MTV celebrates the 40th anniversary of its launch, and given the channel’s worldwide brand ubiquity and its history of making stars of anyone from to Cyndi Lauper to Puck to Rob Dyrdek, it’s easy to imagine the channel had a liquid-hydrogen-fueled launch attended by celebs, photographed by paparazzi, and hailed by Wall Street.

But MTV’s creation isn’t a Social Network tale of Ivy League boffins on track for greatness; it’s more like The Bad News Bears, a tale of scrappy underdogs. MTV’s launch prompted skepticism, if not indifference or mockery, from the music, advertising, and television industries. Prior to the launch, only a few dozen people believed the network would succeed, and all of them worked there.

MTV usually doesn’t acknowledge its own anniversaries, because like a middle-aged actor, it doesn’t want to admit its age. But for lots of people born between 1960 and 1980, a 40th anniversary brings back delightful memories of ridiculous haircuts, tight spandex, and outrageous spectacle. The Grammy Museum Mississippi is even marking the anniversary with an exhibit, “MTV Turns Forty: I Still Want My MTV,” that opens May 14, continues through the summer of 2022, and includes such mementos as Madonna’s dress in the “Vogue” video, Michael Jackson’s “Dirty Diana” leather suit, and Bret Michaels’s acoustic guitar from “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.”