Is there actually anything on MTV thesedays worth getting cable/sky/whatever for?

No.
But VH1 Classic is nice sometimes.

So, is it all 'lifestyle'?
Pretty much. Regular VH1 as well. They do occasionally play actual videos but I've lost track of when exactly. MTV2 is better but not as much as it should be. MTV2 shouldn't even have to exist if you ask me. Pretty soon it will be filled with non-music content and then on to MTV3, the saga continues.

remember when MTV2 started you could go to the website, pick a bunch of videos and if selected from the random database they'd be aired with your name up on screen. ideas like this are great but they don't generate cash so had to go pretty sharpish.

i would like to see BBC Three devote much more time to modern music esp. reports and features and interviews instead of just pandering to the dominant culture that revolves around 'live performance'. more music videos too. integrate the kind of stuff we saw on the excellent and sadly missed Play UK into the mandate immediately. they can't really lose any MORE viewers can they? and it's cheaper than comissioning another series of Burn It or Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps Please surely?

Yeah, I did this a number of times, even though I haven't got MTV2. Idea being, if it got used, I'd ring someone and get them to tape the half hour (or whatever) of really cool stuff. Did I get picked? Did I custard.

I had such high hopes!

apparently MTV is to start showing short promotional films again, like it did ten years ago for all kinds of odd arts projects, awareness campaigns and the like.

There is no way any of these will be worth watching.