Along with VH1 , MTV broadcast the Live 8 concerts , a series of concerts set in the G8 states and South Africa , on July 2 , 2005 . Live 8 preceded the 31st G8 summit and the 20th anniversary of Live Aid . MTV drew heavy criticism for its coverage of Live 8 . The network cut to commercials , VJ commentary , or other performances during performances . Complaints surfaced on the Internet over MTV interrupting the reunion of Pink Floyd . In response , MTV president Van Toeffler stated that he wanted to broadcast highlights from every venue of Live 8 on MTV and VH1 , and clarified that network hosts talked over performances only in transition to commercials , informative segments or other musical performances . Toeffler acknowledged that " MTV should not have placed such a high priority on showing so many acts , at the expense of airing complete sets by key artists . " He also blamed the Pink Floyd interruption on a mandatory cable affiliate break . MTV averaged 1.4 million viewers for its original July 2 broadcast of Live 8 . Consequently , MTV and VH1 aired five hours of uninterrupted Live 8 coverage on July 9 , with each channel airing different blocks of artists
31st G8 summit
31st G8 summit
MTV