MTV was a Portuguese pay television channel that was launched on 4 July 2003, replacing MTV Europe in Portugal. A high-definition simulcast feed of the channel launched on 17 June 2015. In 2004, the channel targeted a 15-25 age group, and at the time, it was the 12th most-watched channel on pay-TV platforms in Portugal. Between 2003 and 2025, the channel also had a music component.

In its initial stages MTV Portugal shared similar content to MTV Spain and MTV Italy, while also airing programming from MTV US and MTV Europe (now MTV Global). There was a strong focus on music content but gradually the channel began to air reality shows similar to other MTV channels. The channel was launched in Portugal with the support of private broadcaster SIC as it previously had a MTV branded block in the early 1990s. The channel was based at MTV Networks Europe in Madrid and supported by a local office is Lisbon.

History MTV Portugal was launched at midnight on 4 July 2003 with a special pre-recorded concert by Blind Zero, replacing MTV Europe. The channel promised a "Portugalization" of its content, when, at launch, the channel had Portuguese staff, but no local programs were announced.

At the beginning, the channel broadcast mainly music, but gradually gave way to reality shows. Most of its programming consists of shows broadcast on MTV channels in the US (MTV and MTV2), but also shows from MTV UK (Geordie Shore, Just Tattoo of Us,...), MTV Spain (Gandía Shore,...) or MTV Brazil and MTV Latin America.

In Spring 2011, MTV Portugal began to air new localised programming. The last MTV Portugal VJs were Diogo Dias – the first presenter of the channel, having hosted MTV Portugal since 2004 -, Luís Marvão and Patrícia Vieira. Starting in the early 2020s, MTV Portugal no longer had presenters. There are some Portuguese celebrities who also were MTV Portugal VJs: Filomena Cautela, Luísa Barbosa (in the second half of the 2000s) and Ana Sofia Martins (in the first half of the 2010s).

In the 2020s, its dedicated music programming was progressively reduced, until in early 2026 music videos were completely eradicated from the channel's broadcast – following the example of other MTV channels in Europe – and incorporated into MTV Global's global programming.

As of 2024, MTV Portugal’s schedule was merged into MTV Spain’s, and still had localized content.

With the merger into MTV Global in 2025, Czech regulator RRTV requested that the former MTV Portugal license would be reused for MTV Poland's, and, consequently, the channel would be distributed from the Thor satellite instead.

Initially, MTV Portugal was available on Optimus Clix, which merged with ZON into NOS in 2014. Until 15 February 2021, the channel was also available on Nowo, when the channel was removed. On 31 December 2025, MTV Portugal ceased broadcasts on MEO, the operator which was the Portuguese subscription TV service with the largest number of clients as of 2023.

This happened on the same day that MTV 00s and MTV Live were closed, and MTV Portugal started using the same schedule as MTV Global, no longer airing any music videos. Thus, the channel continued to be available on the NOS and Vodafone Portugal operators.

In March 2026, its feed was delocalized and moved to MTV Global, but with Portuguese subtitles and promotion announcer.

VJ casting In 2012, MTV Portugal aired a new local television program which aims to look for new VJs across the country. It began its search by going across the country to ten cities across six months and selects its top candidates to progress to the next stage. During the VJ casting process it has visited Almada, Aveiro, Coimbra, Faro, Funchal, Guimarães, Lisbon, Montijo, Sintra, Viseu.

Local programmes MTV Amplifica (entertainment news update hosted by VJ Diogo) MTV Breakfast Club (entertainment show hosted by VJ Patrícia and VJ Luís) MTV News (available on MTV Portugal's Instagram) MTV Hits (nonstop video show) MTV Push Portugal MTV Insomnia (nonstop video show)

Programs

40 Greatest Pranks Acapulco Shore Amplifica Are You the One? Are You the One? Brazil Awkward Brothers Green: Eats Car Crash Couples Catfish: The TV Show The Challenge Daria Ex on the Beach Faking It Geordie Shore The Hills I Used to Be Fat Lip Sync Battle Made MTV #YouGotGot MTV Breakfast Club MTV Cribs MTV Dance Videos MTV Drive Time by Smart MTV Insomnia MTV It Girls MTV Movie Awards MTV Push MTV Retro MTV Summer Sessions MTV Sunset Braga MTV Suspect MTV Video Music Award MTV World Stage MTV's Bugging Out Pimp My Ride Pranked Punk'd The Ride Ridiculousness South Park Super Shore Teen Mom Thalia's Mixtape: El Soundtrack de Mi Vida Video Love Happy Tree Friends 16 and Pregnant America's Best Dance Crew Amplifica Beavis and Butt-head Blue Mountain State Bored to Death Bullied Caged Crash Canyon Dance Floor Chart Death Valley Degrassi: The Next Generation DISconnected Drawn Together Eastbound & Down Flash Prank From G's to Gents How to Make It in America Important Things with Demetri Martin Inbetweeners Instant Star Jersey Shore MTV Movie Awards MTV Push MTV U MTV Unplugged MTV Video Music Award MTV World Stage My Life as Liz My Super Sweet 16 Na Cozinha Paris Hilton's My New BFF Peak Season Pranked Room Raiders Skins Soul Eater Taking the Stage Teen Mom The Buried Life The Challenge: Battle of the Exes The City The Osbournes The Pauly D Project The Real World The Sarah Silverman Program Top 10: O Teu Top Tosh.0 Tough Love True Beauty True Life

Awards ceremonies on MTV Portugal MTV Portugal broadcast live every edition of the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA) between 2003 and its last edition in 2024, as well as the MTV Movie Awards.

It also broadcast live all editions of the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) between 2003 and 2024, except for the 2010 edition – which, for unknown reasons, was not broadcast live – and the 2025 edition, which was also not broadcast on other European MTV channels. The 2011 edition aired with a half-hour delay. The delayed broadcast of the 2025 VMA was done without Portuguese subtitles, unlike what had always happened before.

The 2007 edition of Los Premios MTV, the awards show for Spanish-speaking America, also aired on MTV Portugal.

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