Just a few years ago, “Total Request Live” was a teen obsession. Kids rushed home from school to watch the video countdown and vote for their favorite videos, and the afternoon show was a must-visit for all the hottest celebrities.

But "TRL" is struggling these days, much like MTV itself, hurt largely by the internet and the availability of videos elsewhere.

This week, MTV told The Associated Press that it has been airing taped “TRL” episodes two days a week instead of airing them live. Tuesday and Thursday episodes are taped right after the Monday and Wednesday episodes. So on two days the video countdown no longer truly reflect the day’s top choices.

The move to tape, part of MTV Networks’ larger effort to save money, caps a long slide for the show, leading to speculation that “TRL” would be cut entirely.

Eight years ago, when “TRL” was at its most popular, it averaged nearly 350,000 viewers 12-17. Year to date, it’s averaging just 113,000 viewers, down 67 percent.

The change mirrors a growing identity problem for MTV. Once an innovator among cable networks, the network has grown tired in recent years, relying too much on older, fading shows like “TRL” and “Real World” while competitors like fuse and Comedy Central roll out fresh ideas.

Further, both MTV and “TRL” have been hurt by the rise of YouTube and other video sharing sites, which allow teens to call up their favorite videos at will instead of having to wait through an hour-long request show.

More and more, kids' time is given over to the internet, video games, instant messaging and text messaging at the expense after-school TV. According to a Ziff-Davis study, hard-core video gamers have cut down on their TV time by four hours per week over the past few years.

A Harrison Group poll last year found that more than two-thirds of teens have social networking site pages and spend time updating them each week. And the time they spend downloading and listening to music online is on the rise. Almost three-quarters of teens tell Harrison they're spending two to three hours per day doing so, up 27 percent from 2003.

Meanwhile, in other younger viewer ratings for the week ending March 18:

Among teens 12-17: Fox was first with a 2.0 rating and 10 share, followed by the CW at 1.7/6, CBS at 1.4/5, ABC at 1.3/5, NBC and Univision at 1.2/4, Telefutura and Telemundo at 0.2/1, and Azteca at 0.1/0.

Among kids 2-11: Fox led with a 1.9/7, followed by Univision at 1.2/5, ABC at 1.0/4, CBS and the CW at 0.9/4, NBC at 0.8/3, Telemundo at 0.2/1, Telefutura at 0.1/1, and Azteca at 0.0/0.

The top five shows among kids 2-5: 1. “Wonder Pets” (Nickelodeon, Friday 11 a.m.); 2. “Dora the Explorer” (Nickelodeon, Friday 11:30 a.m.); 3. “American Idol” (Fox, Tuesday 8 p.m.); 3 “American Idol” (Fox, Wednesday 8 p.m.); 4. “Blues Clues” (Nickelodeon, Thursday 10 a.m.); 5. “Scooby-Doo 2 Movie” (Nickelodeon, Friday 8 p.m.)

The top five shows among kids 6-11: 1. “Suite Life of Zack and Cody” (Disney, Friday 7:30 p.m.); 2. “Scooby-Doo 2 Movie” (Nickelodeon, Friday 8 p.m.); 3. “The Luck of the Irish” (Disney, Saturday 9 p.m.); 4. “American Idol” (Fox, Tuesday 8 p.m.); 5. “Jump In” (Disney, Friday 8 p.m.)

The top five shows among 9-14: 1. “American Idol” (Fox, Tuesday 8 p.m.); 2. “Suite Life of Zack and Cody” (Disney, Friday 7:30 p.m.); 3. “The Luck of the Irish” (Disney, Saturday 9 p.m.); 4. “Zoey 101” (Nickelodeon, Sunday 8 p.m.) 5. “American Idol” (Fox, Wednesday 9 p.m.)