Online Archives of Comedy Central, MTV News.com and More Purged by Paramount Global in Streamlining Move

As global media companies continue to move toward streaming platforms being the sole digital footprint that represents them, Paramount Global has removed online archives for websites such as ComedyCentral.com, MTVNews.com,CMT.com, and more. In their place stands a generic landing page for the network’s content offered on Paramount+ with a message that says that while some fan-favorite shows are no longer watchable on the websites, viewers can watch the channels through their TV provider and sign up for Paramount+.

In a statement, Paramount expressed that this was all part of a larger move to drive more engagement to its streaming service. The brief statement can be read below:

“As part of broader website changes across Paramount, we have introduced more streamlined versions of our sites, driving fans to Paramount+ to watch their favorite shows.”

This move could also be seen as a cost-cutting measure. Paramount has held talks within the last few months with regard to potentially selling some of its assets. There were even preliminary merger discussions with Warner Bros. Discovery.

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Paramount’s Streamlining Serves as a Broader Warning for the Future of Digital Archive Preservation

With this move, Paramount has wiped out decades worth of content and at this time, it is not known whether the content that has been removed for public access has been preserved for future use. Staff who worked on content for these websites were apparently given no warning of the upcoming changes with some taking to social media to vent their frustration concerning losing portions of their body of work from these high-profile websites.

On June 24, Patrick Hosken, formerly of MTV News, took to X to say that eight years of his work was now erased. Having pieces on top names in the music industry like Janelle Monáe, Mike Shinoda, and Dua Lipa vanish from their original home on the internet is not an easy pill to swallow, and he points out that his experience is not unique and not only a huge loss for himself but the many names who build platforms like MTV News to be a trusted outlet.

Thankfully, the internet archive has saved MTV News content dating back to December 1998, providing some relief for readers and former staff members. Currently, the Nickelodeon site is still a unique web page and not a landing strip for the streaming service. The websites for VH1 and BET are also still unique and do not directly point to the Paramount+ streaming service for now.