Smooth is the latest channel to be AXED by Foxtel… just weeks after [V], MAX and CMC were canned

Smooth Music is the latest channel to be axed by Foxtel after partnering with global media conglomerate ViacomCBS.

According to TV BlackBox, the network announced that the easy-listening channel will be replaced by a new line-up of outsourced MTV branded content.

The music platform was a joint venture with NOVA Entertainment. It first began airing in December 2013, and was fronted by Cameron Daddo and Marcia Hines.

The confirmation comes as no surprise, after it was revealed that Channel [V], MAX and Country Music Channel were also being rebranded last month.

The new agreement will provide subscribers with a ‘broader variety of music genres’, including new child-friendly channels, R&B and all-time classics.

All new channels will be owned and operated by ViacomCBS and programmed for Australian audiences. 

In 2017, the music station was merged with Foxtel Arts and reduced programming from 24 hours to 18 hours per day.

However come July 1, Foxtel Arts will return as a 24 hour channel. 

The shocking news prompted an emotional response from The Bachelor host Osher Günsberg, who launched his TV career as a live presenter on Channel [V] in 1999.

Sharing a lengthy post to his Instagram account, Osher wrote: ‘It is with a heavy heart that I learned Foxtel is closing their Australian based music channels in a few weeks. 

’70 jobs are gone, and 25 years of supporting the music industry in this country.’

‘Not to mention incubating and launching a massive wave of TV talent both on camera and off camera, people who have taken their careers far and wide since.’