MTV (originally an initialism of Music Television) is an Americanbasic cable and satellite televisionchannel owned by the MTV Networks Music & Logo Group, a unit of the Viacom Media Networks division of Viacom. The channel is headquartered in New York City, New York. Launched on August 1, 1981, the original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by television personalities known as "video jockeys," or VJs.

Influence and controversies
The channel has been a target of criticism by various groups about programming choices, social issues, political correctness, sensitivity, censorship, and a perceived negative social influence on young people. Portions of the content of MTV's programs and productions have come under controversy in the general news media and among social groups that have taken offense. Some within the music industry criticized what they saw as MTV's homogenization of rock 'n' roll, including the punk band the Dead Kennedys, whose song "M.T.V. - Get Off the Air" was released on the 1985 album Frankenchrist just as MTV's influence over the music industry was being solidified.

Beyond MTV
Since its launch in 1981, the brand "MTV" has expanded to include many additional properties beyond the original MTV channel, including a variety of sister channels in the U.S., dozens of affiliated channels around the world, and an Internet presence through MTV.com and related websites.

MTV around the world

Further information: List of MTV channels

MTV Networks has launched numerous native-language regional variants of MTV-branded channels to countries around the world. For a complete list of these international MTV channels in Europe, Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas, see List of MTV channels.

 In its early years, MTV's main target demographic were young adults, but today, MTV's programming is primarily targeted at adolescents and teenagers in addition to young adults.

MTV has spawned numerous sister channels in the U.S. and affiliated channels internationally, some of which have gone independent. MTV's influence on its audience, including issues related to censorship and social activism, has been a subject of debate for years.

As of August 2013, approximately 97,654,000 American households (85.51% of households with television) receive MTV.