Hey 80s people, I always wanted to know, did Mtv become popular fast or did it take about 2 or 3 years for it to break through to the culture? Please reply. And about what year did Mtv stop playing music videos? (Not literally, they still do, but it's so short).

I don't know it seems like my friends and I watched it from its inception.

Maybe a related question is if cable television was wildly popular and available in 1981 when MTV debuted.  Availability of cable television may have helped or hindered MTV's early success (if it was successful from its debut).

Here's some trivia about MTV:

The music video for 'Just Between You and Me' by April Wine was the fourteenth video played on MTV's first day of broadcast making it the first video by a Canadian recording artist ever played on MTV. Played again at number fifty-seven, it's also the first video the station ever repeated

The first music video on Much Music, was Rush's "The Enemy Within".

The first music video on Much Music, was Rush's "The Enemy Within".


Some MuchMusic Trivia:

The first two VJs to appear on MuchMusic were Christopher Ward and J.D. Roberts, who helped launch the channel in 1984

- Christopher Ward, a singer who had previously charted a few hits in Canada during the 70s went on to fame as producer and songwriter for Alannah Myles

- J.D. Roberts, is none other than CNN news anchor John Roberts, co-host of 'American Morning'

Yes.  I would go so far as to say it helped popularize cable.  The "I want my MTV" ad campaign was relentless.  These ads were on broadcast TV ad nauseam in July, 1981.  I remember them.  Granted the cable market was tiny compared to broadcast in those days, everybody knew about MTV.  A lot of rural places had no cable access and even in the cities and suburbs, I'd say 2/3 had yet to subscribe in the summer of '81.  That would all change in the next few years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfFODAiEPSs

My grandparents subscribed to cable long before we did and when we went over to their house, my sister and I kept our eyes glued to MTV as much as possible.  In between the VJ banter and the videos for Duran Duran Culture Club, the Fixx, A Flock of Seagulls, Michael Jackson, Prince, Bonnie Tyler, Motley Crue, and so on, there were mind-numbing strings of ads for designer jeans, class rings, bubble gum, soft drinks, and Swatches.  MTV was the best commercial vector for the 12--25 demographic since...since anything! It was unprecedented!  Ad men are not stupid.  Mom watched soaps, Dad watched the news, but Bud and Sis wanted MTV!  1982 was a terrible year of recession.  It took a lot nagging to get the folks to shell out the extra dough for cable, so they hired the kids to do it!  Cable companies? Happy.  Corporations? Happy. Kids? Happpy.  Viacom execs? LOADED!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTV

it was with me! i was hooked after the first video, and soon after hooked up my stereo for the full mtv experiance! :)

I have this documentary that VH1 aired in 1999 or 2000, it was a five part series all about how different types of '80s music had an impact on the decade - not just with music, but politics, daily life and overall culture.

Anyway part 1 talks about MTV and pop music, and according to them, it started taking off with new wave bands c. 1982, but really became a phenomenon when Thriller came out. And when Madonna became huge in '84 it was completely established. That's pretty much along the lines of how I've always thought it went too.

Thanks everyone, for posting, but thank you, Marty McFly, for answering my question. So I guess the answer is it took about a year for Mtv to take off and another 2 years for it to become its own.

^ No problem. :)

I actually have wondered if music videos being popular made the '80s sound really take off (i.e. synthpop) which seemed to really happen in 1982 from looking at compilations or what was on the charts. Even before Thriller, bands like Hall & Oates and the Cars seemed pretty popular on MTV from what I've seen.