This seemed appropriate, somehow.
DirecTV has pulled G4 from the channel line-up following an end of negotiations between DirecTV and G4 parent company Comcast. According to DirecTV, G4 was removed from the channel list after the latest Nielsen data revealed it to be among the lowest rated networks.
G4 was originally launched back in 2002, initially geared to be a competitor for TechTV (formerly ZDTV) focusing on “the gaming lifestyle” and technology news. G4 eventually purchased TechTV and consolidated much of the programming from it’s former competitor, although it eventually strayed to a format mostly consisting of re-runs of COPS and Ninja Warrior. The only original show from either network to survive the merger was X-Play, which continues to be one of the highest-rated shows left on the dwindling network.
The trainwreck of G4 has been playing out for many years, especially as the focus shifted from gamers and techies to attempting to compete with the ”male-oriented” Spike channel. As they’ve abandoned their original fanbase in some perplexing programming choices, is it any wonder that the network is failing? Will anyone even lament the absence of G4 on DirecTV?
Source: EW.com
I’ll miss G4. I usually watch Cheaters and other shows. It’s a
shame to see it go of the DirectTV schedule.
I’ll miss G4. I used to watch Cheaters and other shows on that
channel. It would be a shame to see it go off the Direct TV
schedule.
Pretty soon everyone will be dropping DirecTV
Couldn’t be happier about them dropping G4. Stopping watching that craptastic channel ever since they shut down and screwed everyone that worked at TechTV.
I haven’t watched G4 since they killed TechTV. Wouldn’t even give it a chance after they screwed over the TechTv crew. The only positive we got from that was Rev3, TWiT, DL.TV, Digg, and other project the old TechTV crew created.
I agree with Mike and Robert I haven’t watched G4 since they killed TechTv. I remember when we first got Directv and all I would watch was TechTv and now I couldn’t tell you one show that they have on G4.
I miss TechTV and ZDNet! I loved watching all the tech information and computer help shows because you just didn’t get that kind of info anywhere else. I even watched XPlay even though I’m not a gamer. My family and I have been in the audience of The ScreenSavers twice and met Adam Sessler (he even played a “new” video game with my son called Splinter Cell after he previewed it on the show). I even met a very young hacker named Kevin Rose who did segments on TSS!! I stopped watching after it went to G4 because it seemed to me it was geared to the college guys. Long story short, I won’t miss G4 but I still miss TechTV.
Love you Kevin!!
Comcast and G4 can die in the deep grave they have been digging for themselves the past years. Merging a perfectly good channel (Tech TV) with a crappy failing one with round the clock reruns of horrible programming was doomed from the start. It’s a shame they got rid of all the great shows that could have made the channel survive after the merger. We really don’t need G4 anymore only thing now is for X-play to jump ship and go to spike or Revision3. All G4 is now is a horrible mix of a cheap copy of spike and fox.
I LOVe how so many idiots here are buying hte asinine article’s notion that it ws pulled due to failing ratings. Why the fuck would DirecTV care about its ratings? It is a niche cable channel. It never got good ratings. (Most Tech TV shows actually get a ZERO Nielsen rating since it didn’t have enough viewers to round up to their lowest number.)
The channel is being pulled becuase G4 wants too much money. NO other reason.
Tech TV failed because it cost millions to produce. One show at the CES? $1 million. That’s what TV shows in the old model costs. How many commercials + fees from distributors can you collect per hour? Way less than $1 million. It was hemorrhaging money. Comcast cut all the costs, and the audience dropped off the table. I’ll bet it was still a money loser. It is SO cheap. What, do they have four or five people you ever see on screen? If Rupert Murdoch (DirectTV) withdraws his money, who’s left?
On the other hand, Leo makes a good living with his TwiT network because his costs are a tenth or less than G4. Not as many sex jokes, of course. Lots of good information for techies.
I hate Direct TV … Its like being married to the Mob … they wont work with , charge arm and a leg for HD DVR box i don’t own it .. but but i have to pay $200 + to get 1 and still have to pay lease fees …
The only reason i have Direct tv is for the football package
@JIM H
I can agree it was bleeding money, 100%. However, more and more people are becoming tecvh savy everyday. I would have taken G4 and shifted it’s focus back to what it once was. I can bet you more advertising dollars from tech companies would have started rolling in.
If G4 would bring back the old Tech TV format, I am willing to bet it will do a lot beter now then it did back then.
More advertising in mobile tech, Apple, MS, and PC makers, software and gaming would help the money issue.
The crap they have on now is not worth paying for. Cops? Cheaters? What’s next Jerry Springer?
G4 was crap anyways, Techtv was a good channel with a lot of information and actually good programing where you could learn something. G4 was all reruns, cops, and other shows about crap that nobody wanted to know about. They killed themselves!
G4 is the one show I kind of miss after dumping my expanded cable. I watched the occasional X-play or AOTS (I subscribe to the daily podcast so even then I really don’t need to watch it) and I’d watch ninja warrior. If either of those shows got swapped to say Spike or something similar, I would be just as happy.
I miss the old TechTV too, I watched it almost religiously as I was in my tech minded infancy. I was so sad when it got bought out. At first though, they kept on a bunch of the old TTV shows. Slowly but surely though, they all got replaced by junk like COPS and CHEATERS.
Long live TWiT
Ugh.. G4 has never been able to get it right.. clearly driven by growth rather than expanding on a core audience.
I miss the old days when it truly was tech talk. Attack of the Show (even without Olivia) is still awesome and XPlay is cool.
This is not a huge surprise.
I refused -REFUSED- to watch G4 after the merger with TechTV. Look at all the cool shows that were lost! The Screen Savers, and Call for Help, to name a few…
I haven’t tuned my TV to G4 in years, and I will not even notice it missing from my DirecTV line up.
I don’t even have Direct TV… Im just here for the fun, LOL… still I do have G4 and I agree it sucks except for X-play, AOTS and the ocassional Ninja Warrior (Those people are just impressive). Move those 3 to another channel and I could care less what happens to G4.
I’m gonna miss X-Play and G4′s occasional but increasingly rare serving of veteran player competitions.
Not many will mourn this loss, more people to TWIT with leo laporte!
I’m with Lakawa, except I think it is bloodsucking Comcast who wants too much money, not G4 per se.
I remember back when x-play was Extended Play. They just had Adam, and he would give video game reviews, it was great. Now they somewhat give video game review, mostly plastered over by special effects of kittens and Arnold Schwarzenegger. A channel for the technologically and gaming oriented would be nice, but G4 no longer meets that need. I’m glad to see it go.
Now bring back TechTV and all will be well again.
Hugo Chavez says that G4 lost it’s way years ago. Hugo Chavez says he is building a time machine to go back and fix it.