MTV is adding more music videos to its schedule  at 3 a.m.

On Monday the network starts “AMTV,” a six-hour block for music and advertising experimentation. From 3 to 9 a.m. Monday through Thursday, it will show music videos, news, interviews and performances, harking back to the network’s origins as a 24-hour home for music videos.

Now, of course, the network is more synonymous with unrealistic reality shows like “The Hills” than with music. Over the years the network, a unit of Viacom, has relegated music videos to its less popular digital channels and intermissions between shows.

But the network says that by carving out a new space for artists in the mornings, it is rethinking how it programs music. Stephen Friedman, the general manager of MTV, said the new schedule “creates more sampling opportunities” for viewers.

“It gives us a much wider palette to experiment,” he said.

The network is bringing back “Unplugged,” its series of acoustic performances by artists. Mr. Friedman said the mornings would always be “complemented by a prime-time connection,” when the network sees its highest ratings.