General Discussion How Do You Solve A Problem Like G4?

[Jeff Harris]

As a TechTV fan, I am all but contractually obliged to hate G4 and root for its failure and utter demise. Why shouldn't I? When Comcast bought TechTV, instead of it being a solid merger of equals (which it wasn't), the lesser-known G4 culture took over the more tech-savvy, nerd-friendly environment...

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[zambothegreat]

I don't think there is anything wrong with "Games, Gizmos, Gadgets, and Gear". The majority of people don't even know what it stands for anyway. The thing is, it would take a complete paradigm shift for G4 to become what it was in the early 2000s. Rev3 has become what G4 should have been, and it's more accessible than TV because it's online, and it's free. Another reason why G4 was popular was because of recognizable and reliable names in Adam Sessler (now apart of the aforementioned Rev3), Morgan Webb, Kevin Pereira, Leo Laporte, and more.

Now all it has is Reviews on the Run and Electric Playground (at least in Canada). What are they showing in the US?

 

[Jeff Harris]

Reruns of X-Play, which hasn't been in production since December. G4 stateside is a dead channel, a zombie with no energy to it at all.

September 23 was supposed to be the day G4 becomes The Esquire Network, but the powers-that-be at NBC Universal nixed that plan and decided to . . . I feel like I'm repeating myself. Read the commentary above; that tells the story.

Nothing wrong with Revision 3. I like Revision 3, but online isn't television by any stretch. Online entertainment hasn't gotten to the point of being more accessible than anything on television. The least-watched television show will have more visibility and a larger audience than the most-watched online show, and that's not hyperbole. It's a truth online evangelists find themselves struggling to admit. And you can bet that if given the chance and choice, they'd rather be on television . . . in fact, Discovery owns Revision 3. Why the heck aren't they putting more of these shows on Science Channel?

 

[rastergrafx]

And you can bet that if given the chance and choice, they'd rather be on television . . . in fact, Discovery owns Revision 3. Why the heck aren't they putting more of these shows on Science Channel?

Blame the bottom/top-of-the-hour time restriction. Internet shows don't have any requirements for length. If Discovery placed the Rev3 shows on television, they'd have to cut the shows down or extend them to fit a televised schedule.

Personally, I think it would be best if G4 was just sold to Discovery. Put the network back in the hands of the old G4 and TechTV alumni so they can make new shows again--the way the merger should have been originally.

 

[Ralph Wiggum]

I think it falls into the category of single focus niche channels just don't seem to work. History and TLC are similar examples that started out as something very unique and individual but have shifted their focus so much that you would be hard-pressed to find anything remotely consistent with their original programming ethos. History is a 'lets rip off unsuspecting people and sell the refinished product for thousands of dollars hee hee hee' and TLC is no longer an abbreviation and has "What Not to Wear" as its learning high water mark.

 

[rastergrafx]

Update time!

Comcast will no longer distribute G4 in January.

January:

G4 (Comcast ceasing distribution)

 

[rastergrafx]

So, this was linked on Toon Zone.

G4 is going to be dropped by several providers this month. The end is nigh.