G4 network teases a comeback in 2021 (UPDATE: Dead again.)

[Perla Magica]

Well, G4 is dead. Again.

Comcast Pulls Plug On G4 TV, Ending Comeback Try For Gamer-Focused Network

Comcast's Spectacor division is pulling the plug on video game-centric network G4, whose early incarnation in the 2000s remains a cultural touchstone for many millennials, just a year after its relaunch.

deadline.com

It seems the new G4 may have had budget problems.

I didn't expected that but in the era of streaming probably few of us thought the G4 relaunch won't last longer than a year or two.

The thing is that new G4 is not the G4 people used to know and love, graphics and promos don't have the same energy as the old G4 while their iconic shows tried their best to capture the vibes of good old days with a sprinkle of modern days.

The budget problems for the channel was a huge deal so the shutdown was necessary. I feel sorry for all the people involved in this channel losing their jobs.

I can't find the moment of the shutdown on YouTube so... Here's what I found.

 

[themidnightlore]

So, uh, my dreams of a G4 x GINX Esports TV crossover died like that.
Agreed on who says that Comcast/NBCU just had to accept when Hearst came with Esquire Network for take its place, maybe we would have been spared from this round two.

 

[Mandouga]

I believe it could have if they tried harder.

Moreover, it could have if they actually tried to be a network about video games, instead of being the same tired, edgy, “parental discretion advised”, MTV-wannabe, “general interest” network even the original G4 tried to be later on. You Tube? Oh sure, it’s easy to blame something like this on the “interwebz”, but I think most people know what the real problem was.

YEAH, yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah, ah…they hadn‘t changed at all, and in this case, that was what was wrong with their network. “We never stopped playing”? That’s exactly what they did when they started giving everyone shows that had nothing to do with anything. Also, “new G4 isn’t the same as old G4”? Heck, eventually, even old G4 wasn’t the same as old G4, and that was before the Tech TV merger.

In any event, they weren’t really fooling anyone. The new G4 was ultimately the same insult to the viewers’ intelligence that the original G4 eventually became. Oh, sure, they brought back Starcade (early video game game show from the early 1980s) reruns, but yeah, that was pretty much the only thing worth watching, since that actually involves video games, and doesn’t try so hard to “appeal/relate/whatever” to the “target audience”. Despite this, however, a channel dedicated to video games can work if there’s actual effort put into it. The problem is, Comcast never really even bothered trying, even (but especially) when the original G4 was still around. Otherwise, it never would have ended up in the position it was in (and eventually shutting down) in the first place.

If everyone (or even anyone) at G4 is reading this, TL;DR, we hate to say we told you so, but…well, you know the rest…


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[RandomMe]

Someone told me that the linear channel is still operating and was just airing Scott the Woz. Since the memo came on such a short notice, they didn't have time to set a closing date for the channel yet.

On the other hand, G4 Select will shut down at 3am.

 

[Moe]

Someone told me that the linear channel is still operating and was just airing Scott the Woz. Since the memo came on such a short notice, they didn't have time to set a closing date for the channel yet.

I already mentioned on my post #95 about G4 on Philo and YouTube TV continue to air right now.

Yeah, networks usually announce about shut the channel down within 90 days but G4 was very unusual. It could be on autopilot until no longer to air.

I haven't receive a notification from YouTube TV when G4 will be closed and remove from lineup, so I will share after receive a email.

 

[Goldstar!]

Moreover, it could have if they actually tried to be a network about video games, instead of being the same tired, edgy, “parental discretion advised”, MTV-wannabe, “general interest” network even the original G4 tried to be later on. You Tube? Oh sure, it’s easy to blame something like this on the “interwebz”, but I think most people know what the real problem was.

If you're talking about the original G4 (the cable/satellite channel), a spokesman for the channel claimed that the reason for the changes was a money thing; G4 (again, the TV channel) needed to add mainstream shows like Cops and Cheaters in order to stay afloat because gamers alone was too niche an audience to sustain the channel. If that was truly the case, then it just supports my belief that the new G4 should have just skipped TV altogether and just become a website, like a hybrid of Twit.tv and Twitch. A website devoted solely to gaming and content that's video game adjacent such as reviews/talks about tech and sci-fi. G4 Tech TV should have been an awesome combo, but the high-ups had to try to make the channel appealing to mainstream audience (aka, lowest common denominator) audience as well. This is why G4 was transformed from a gaming/nerds/geeks channel to a dude-bros channel. G4 was never going to last very long as a mainstream cable channel, so the folks in charge of it should have embraced the internet for its very specific audience.

 

[Silverstar]

I wanted to get behind the new G4 since I was a fan of the old one (before it became the Cops and Cheaters network), but nowadays people can get the same kind of content on sites like YouTube, Twitch, IGN, GameFAQs, etc. The niche that G4 used to fill has since become occupied. Also, their reviews were too long; only the most dedicated gamer is going to sit through a 30+ minute review when you can get a similar review of the same games elsewhere on the internet for under 10 minutes. They could've stood out with shows like Icons or Filter or Code Monkeys, but those require teams of writers and researchers and animators, which they clearly didn't have the time or the budget for. Trying to run a website which required a TV show budget was sadly doomed to fail; that's what killed The New Screen Savers on TwiT.

 

[JMTV]

Yeah, it's a shame that the new G4 didn't really took off, but at the same time, it's not surprising.

I'll be honest, I'm not a G4 fan to begin with, and I'm not a gamer either, but I felt the concept of a network geared towards gamers doesn't necessary work in this day in age. Social media and gaming live-streams changed the gaming culture since the original G4 ended. Who really need a network for gamers when they are so many other options now?

To be fair, if G4 were to embrace the social media age much earlier than 2020, then I think it would've lasted much longer. But alas, it's too little too late.

Oh well. It's fun while it lasted.

RIP (again) G4.

 

[Light Lucario]

I just heard about this news this morning. I never really watched G4, but I do remember it being pretty noteworthy back in the day and when it was revived last year. I'm not really surprised that it turned out this way. A TV channel specifically for video games at this point feels extremely outdated. People get video game news from YouTube, Twitch, social media, etc. nowadays and there are plenty of good video game reviews out there on YouTube. I get most of my video game news from YouTube and dedicated sites like Serebii, so G4 wouldn't really providing much, if anything, new or noteworthy for video game fans.

I do feel really bad for people who found out that they lost their job via Twitter. That is really rough and I'm sure just a terrible way to find something like this out. Maybe if they had tried this about ten years ago or better balanced their budgets here, it could have turned out differently.

 

[Mandouga]

the high-ups had to try to make the channel appealing to mainstream audience (aka, lowest common denominator) as well. This is why G4 was transformed from a gaming/nerds/geeks channel to a dude-bros channel. G4 was never going to last very long as a mainstream cable channel, so the folks in charge of it should have embraced the internet for its very specific audience.

Excuses, excuses, excuses (meaning, on Comcast’s part).

“very specific audience”? “The internet”?

I’ve said this before, but I don’t think Comcast had any real faith in either the original channel or the revival (but especially the original) in the first place. That is, they tried at first (for the original channel), but after a while they just didn’t bother. That’s the way I see it anyway. Besides I don’t agree with the idea that “specialty (cable) channel” somehow equals “niche audience”.

Also, just saying, but “mainstream audience” also does not necessarily (repeat: “necessarily”) equal “lowest common denominator. Okay, so some “mainstream” viewers might not get video games, but surely other mainstream viewers might, if even a little bit. For this reason, I personally find the idea that “mainstream viewers don’t get video games” to be overgeneralizing, not that Comcast seems to understand. Otherwise, I think they “coulda/woulda/shoulda” tried at least a little harder.

Well, so much for that, I guess…


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[wonderfly]

Well then, this might be the last "Attack of the Show" episode ever.




And that makes this below possibly the final time we'll see an Adam Sessler review:




Problem is, that's one of their "retro" reviews. It looks like it's been weeks since they did an actual episode of "X-Play".

A shame.


EDIT: Most of what Adam writes on Twitter should be avoided, as....he's very angry (Twitter is his place to yell), but this made me reflect on how far we've come (as viewers), and how far he's come, from 1998 on ZDTV, to his time on TechTV, and then to his time on G4:

">

 

[Moe]

Oh wow, YouTube TV and Philo haven't delist G4 yet and I do think that would happen after 2 weeks of schedule run out.

I'm not optimistic to see G4's relaunch last year and it is just mostly talk show about video games, and game shows. I don't understand about Comcast want to relaunch G4 that would be fail eventually.

I don't miss G4 but I used to watch original G4 when they had rerun of Cops, Quantum Leap and Knight Rider.

@LinusFan303 Hi, are you able to access to G4 on Comcast?

 

[LinusFan303]

They still have it up on Xfinity (Channel 1413)

 

[ShadowBlinky]

I can't find the moment of the shutdown on YouTube so... Here's what I found.

That sure didn't help, did it?

 

[Perla Magica]

Froskurinn, who got a lot of hate recently for "killing G4" has spoke out about what she said back in January this year:

 

[themidnightlore]

How G4 could have been living a little longer: they just could have copied GINX Esports TV, it was its half cousin from the Sky side of Comcast, and that one does live in its little niche.

 

[wonderfly]

Froskurinn, who got a lot of hate recently for "killing G4" has spoke out about what she said back in January this year:

I don't blame Frosk. I don't agree with her (or Adam) politically, but New G4's demise seems to have been unavoidable.

Still, she did have that tweet a month ago where she bragged about not getting fired (when other employees were all getting laid off). So that was bad behavior on her part (and she ended up fired herself a few days later).

I just think back to how much potential this had back in the Fall/Winter of 2020, and in the Spring of 2021, when they were doing those early Youtube uploads, and then in Summer of 2021, when they were doing that "Summer Beach House" thing on Youtube.

But I think I was just riding the nostalgia in the Fall/Winter of 2020. I think I'll just look at the Thanksgiving 2020 "Reunion Special" as a grand "looking back" on the best era of G4 and pretend the last year or so didn't happen.




EDIT: Adam appears to be done with video game reviews and commentary (again):

 

[JMTV]

Froskurinn, who got a lot of hate recently for "killing G4" has spoke out about what she said back in January this year:

Oooohh yeah. I remember hearing so much about that. I'm not gonna get into what the Forsk lady said (and what Adam said on Twitter) since I really want to move on from that, but yeah, either way, it's not a good look on all angles (both in management orchestrated the whole thing and what the hosts had said.).

 

[Moe]

Philo dropped G4 but they added FETV as replacement for G4.

G4 is still on YouTube TV.

This post is as October 19, 2022 at 3:41 am.

 

[LinusFan303]

Washington Post has a story on G4 and why it failed.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2022/10/21/g4-shutdown-froskurinn-comcast-twitch/

Here's some of the reasons I gleamed from the Post.

1. Scaling down due to the economic issues
2. Tucker Roberts the then president of Comcast Spectacor's gaming brand being fickle in decision making
3. The Lack of focus on the linear television side
4. Constant pivoting and switching between Youtube and Twitch and lack of any stragegy to let any viewership growth.
5. People having to work multiple different aspects of the job and late and underpaid