Total Request Live (commonly known as
TRL) was the flagship
television series on
MTV that featured popular
music videos.
TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on
reality-based programming. In addition to music videos,
TRL featured daily guests. The show was a popular promotion tool used by
musicians,
actors, and other
celebrities to promote their newest works to the show's target
teen demographic.
TRL played the top ten most requested videos of the day, as requested by viewers who voted online for their favorite video. The countdown started with the tenth most requested video and ended with the most requested. As of
October 22,
2007,
TRLs countdown was based on votes, charts, ringtones, download, radio airplay, and streams, meaning that the most user requested video might not have been the number 1 video. The show generally aired Monday through Thursday for one hour, though the scheduling and length of the show fluctuated over the years. Despite the word "Live" in the title of the show, many episodes were actually pre-recorded.
It was announced on
September 15,
2008 that
TRL would be shut down and replaced with
FNMTV.
The special three-hour finale aired on
November 16,
2008, at 8 p.m.
[MTV News: Beyonce To Perform On 'TRL' Finale - 'Total Finale Live' will air November 16 at 8 p.m. on MTV. ]