Award Shows That No Longer Exist: Blockbuster, Vibe, VH1 & More

Award shows that no longer exist once dominated winter and summer sweeps — fan-vote spectaculars, cable crossover fashion nights, and retail-branded movie galas that made the calendar feel busier than today’s slimmed-down Oscars-Grammys-Emmys core. This history explainer separates truly cancelled telecasts from rebranded survivors: the People’s Choice Awards did not die when CBS dropped it in 2017; Dick Clark Productions relaunched the show on E! and later NBC with a broader pop-culture mandate. The Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, Vibe Awards, VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards, and TV Land Awards actually ended (or paused indefinitely). We verify end dates, final hosts, and why each vanished using Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, and primary network announcements — not rumor threads. Cross-link to our guides on celebrities who boycotted award shows (#156), celebrities who refused or declined awards (#155), biggest award show scandals ever (#154), are award shows rigged how voting works (#157), and why award show ratings are declining (#159) for boycott context, voting mechanics, and ratings collapse — not red-carpet outfit breakdowns (Pillar F owns fashion analysis).

Every entry below is classified as ended, paused, or rebranded so you know whether a ceremony is gone for good or living under a new name.

Award Shows That No Longer Exist: Ended vs. Rebranded

Lists of award shows that no longer exist get messy fast because Hollywood rarely announces a formal funeral. A network declines to renew a license; a sponsor pulls out; a cable channel merges; producers rebrand the same trophy under a streaming-friendly title. The MTV Movie Awards became the MTV Movie & TV Awards in 2017 — same franchise, expanded scope, not a cancellation. The Golden Globes lost NBC in 2022 over HFPA scandals but returned after reforms — a blackout, not extinction. True award shows that no longer exist stopped producing new ceremonies with no successor brand: the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards held its final show in April 2001; the Vibe Awards never aired after November 2007 violence at the taping.

When in doubt, we follow the money and the license: if no broadcaster or streamer has announced a new edition in five-plus years and the production company has not rebranded the property, we classify the telecast as ended.

People’s Choice Awards: TV Era Changes, Not Cancellation

The People’s Choice Awards belong in any conversation about award shows that no longer exist only in their original form. Created in 1975 as a CBS fan-vote special honoring TV and movie favorites, the show defined a pre-social-media era when mail-in ballots and early online votes could crown Star Trek or Grey’s Anatomy without academy members involved. CBS aired the ceremony for decades until declining ratings and shifting network priorities led to cancellation after the 2016-17 cycle.

Dick Clark Productions did not bury the brand. The People’s Choice Awards relaunched on E! in 2018 with a broader pop-culture focus — music, digital creators, and film — and later moved to NBC for a December 2020 edition hosted by Demi Lovato during the pandemic. The 2022 and 2024 editions continued on NBC with red-carpet coverage split across E! and syndication. Verdict: rebranded and alive, not among award shows that no longer exist — though the old “TV-only fan vote on CBS” format is gone. For how fan voting compares to academy ballots, see are award shows rigged how voting works.

Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (1995–2001)

The Blockbuster Entertainment Awards rank among the clearest award shows that no longer exist in American television history. Blockbuster Inc. launched the ceremony in 1995 to promote video rentals and theatrical releases, handing out trophies voted on by store customers and magazine subscribers. CBS carried early editions; later shows aired on Fox. Winners included studio-era stars and blockbuster franchises — the tone was populist and sponsor-driven rather than guild-polished.

Blockbuster held its sixth and final ceremony on April 10, 2001, as the company battled Netflix-by-mail competition and shifting home-video economics. No successor telecast replaced it. The brand folded into corporate history when Blockbuster stores dwindled nationwide. For retail-meets-Hollywood context, this is a textbook ended show — not a hiatus.

Vibe Awards and VH1 Crossover Ceremonies

Two cable-era shows illustrate how award shows that no longer exist can die from controversy as much as ratings.

The Vibe Awards aired on UPN from 2002 through 2007, celebrating hip-hop and R&B culture with performances and streetwear-forward red carpets. The franchise ended after violence erupted during the 2007 taping involving Death Row Records founder Marion “Suge” Knight and rapper Young Buck; Knight was shot in the leg, and producers shelved future editions. No network revived the format under the Vibe name.

The VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards (later VH1 Fashion Awards) ran from 1995 to 2002, merging music television with haute couture on a runway stage. VH1 shifted resources toward reality programming and countdown series as fashion coverage migrated to E! and later social platforms. Verdict for both: ended — among the definitive award shows that no longer exist from the cable golden age.

TV Land Awards, Teen Choice, and CableACE

Additional award shows that no longer exist in their classic formats:

• TV Land Awards (2003–2015): TV Land celebrated classic sitcoms and dramas with nostalgia-heavy montages and reunion appearances. The network aired its last full ceremony in 2015; a one-off 2019 special did not restart the annual tradition. Status: ended as a regular telecast.
• Teen Choice Awards on Fox (2000s–2019): Fox aired surfboard-trophy spectaculars aimed at Gen Z voters until 2019; producer Endemol Shine America cited scheduling and format costs. Occasional specials and social activations followed, but the annual Fox summer tentpole is gone. Status: paused/ended as a broadcast staple.
• CableACE Awards (1978–1997): The National Cable Television Association honored basic and premium cable programming before cable consolidated and the TCA Awards gained prestige. The final CableACE aired in 1997. Status: ended.
• Radio Music Awards (2000–2005): A short-lived telecast bridging Top 40 radio and TV performances ended amid sponsor churn. Status: ended.
• American Comedy Awards (1987–2001, brief revivals): Multiple iterations honored stand-up and sitcom performers; none sustained a permanent place on the calendar after early-2000s editions. Status: ended as a consistent franchise.

Each cancellation intersects with the ratings crisis explored in why award show ratings are declining — younger viewers stream highlights, networks chase cheaper reality filler, and advertisers demand measurable reach.

What Survived Rebranding — Do Not Miscount These

Before you memorize every award show that no longer exist list on social media, note common miscounts:

• MTV Movie Awards → MTV Movie & TV Awards: Rebranded 2017, still produced.
• People’s Choice Awards: Rebranded after CBS, still on NBC/E! cycle.
• Soul Train Music Awards: Continues on BET/Paramount platforms.
• American Music Awards: Continues on ABC despite hiatus rumors.
• Golden Globes: Paused on NBC 2022, returned after HFPA reforms — see biggest award show scandals ever.

Confusing rebrands with cancellations inflates nostalgia lists and misleads readers researching genuinely award shows that no longer exist.

Why Ceremonies Keep Disappearing

The pattern behind award shows that no longer exist repeats: declining linear ratings, rising production costs, sponsor consolidation, and talent availability. When Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, the story was not a cancellation — but it accelerated debates about live-TV risk catalogued in our celebrities who boycotted award shows and scandals guides. Smaller ceremonies lack that shock value; they simply lose money until a parent company stops issuing renewal press releases.

Streaming fragmentation complicates revival odds. A defunct cable awards show rarely returns because the channel itself merged (VH1 pivoted to reality, TV Land de-emphasized classics). Fan-vote properties have better survival odds if a production company owns the trademark — People’s Choice proved that — but even then the format must shrink to fit social clips and hybrid livestreams.

Quick Reference: Ended vs. Rebranded

• Ended: Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (2001), Vibe Awards (2007), VH1 Fashion Awards (2002), CableACE (1997), Radio Music Awards (2005), TV Land Awards annual run (2015)
• Paused/irregular: Teen Choice Fox telecast (2019), American Comedy Awards (2000s revivals failed)
• Rebranded (still alive): People’s Choice Awards (E!/NBC), MTV Movie & TV Awards
• Not defunct despite headlines: Golden Globes (NBC returned), AMAs, Soul Train Music Awards

Explore More Awards Coverage

• Boycotts: celebrities who boycotted award shows
• Declined trophies: celebrities who refused or declined awards
• Scandals: biggest award show scandals ever
• Voting mechanics: are award shows rigged how voting works
• Ratings decline: why award show ratings are declining
• Snubs: biggest Oscar snubs of all time
• Visit our Awards archive for ceremonies, records, and history guides.