The MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) in 2020 were initially planned to be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York City, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony was moved from the indoor Barclays Center to an outdoor format across New York City. The majority of performances were either pre- recorded at various locations in New York City or on chroma key sets in Los Angeles and Seoul. The event took place mainly around One Astor Plaza, the MTV headquarters in New York City, and was held without a live audience. For 2025, the MTV VMAs were held at the UBS Arena located on Long Island in New York on September 7, 2025. This was the first time the awards were broadcast live on CBS in addition to MTV and streamed on Paramount+. So, in summary:
- 2020 VMAs: Originally planned for Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY, but moved to an outdoor format across NYC, centered around MTV Headquarters at One Astor Plaza.
- 2025 VMAs: Held at UBS Arena, Long Island, New York.
Both years' events took place in New York, but in different venues and under different circumstances due to the pandemic in 2020.
