"We look to reimagine and optimize our events slate going forward," reads a staff memo. "Our world-class events remain a key component of Paramount’s music offering."
Paramount Global — which has agreed to a merger with David Ellison’s Skydance Media that is expected to close in the first half of this year — is hitting pause on select tentpole events in 2025, including the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) and the CMT Music Awards, to reimagine what they might look like in the future and “optimize” its tentpole strategy.
Also affected are the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards Mexico and the MTV MIAWs, formerly known as the MTV Millennial Awards, an annual ceremony honoring Latin American music and youth culture, according to an internal memo, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. The memo came from the office of Bruce Gillmer, Paramount’s president, music, music talent, programming and events, media networks and chief content officer, music, Paramount+.
The pause will not affect the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards and the MTV VMAs in the U.S., as well as such local events as Isle of MTV Malta and the VMAJs, according to sources familiar with the situation. Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2025 is set to be held later this year. It wasn’t immediately clear when a decision about the future of the events affected by the move would be made.
The last Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards Mexico - the 15th edition of the awards ceremony - was held in November 2024 and celebrated SpongeBob SquarePants' 25th anniversary. Although the Mexican edition of Nickelodeon's iconic slimefest, the awards have grown over the years to incorporate categories celebrating artists and content makers in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Brazil.
Paramount has been slimming down in several regards over the past year. In August, the conglomerate’s co-CEOs George Cheeks, Brian Robbins, and Chris McCarthy unveiled a sweeping plan to cut 15 percent of the company’s U.S. workforce in pursuit of $500 million in cost savings. The first of three rounds of layoffs took place shortly after that. Among the changes back then was the shuttering of Paramount TV Studios, as well as the departure of a number of high-profile execs. The second phase in the fall affected such parts of the business as CBS News.
Read the full memo on the pausing of select Paramount events below.
Team,We want to share some news. We are pausing a few events for 2025, as we look to reimagine and optimize our events slate going forward. These include the MTV EMAs, MTV MIAWs, Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in Mexico, and CMT Music Awards.Our world-class events remain a key component of Paramount’s music offering as we continue to raise the bar in delivering iconic, unforgettable performances and moments that drive pop culture. We have the best team in the business, and we are grateful for your hard work and dedication in bringing these events to life.Thank you,Bruce
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Originally published: February 08, 2025.
H/T: @mediagazer.com, special thanks to @darrenzone.bsky.social!
