G4 is no more

[Kyanbu The Legend]

http://www.slashfilm.com/g4-is-no-more-will-be-rebranded-in-2013-as-less-geek-more-gq/




In a world where the Internet allows for infinite voices and instantanious news, TV just never seemed like a destination for pop culture news and opinions. However, if you wanted them, there was only one place to go: G4. The videogame/movie/music centric channel which started in 2002 long had a strangle hold on the geek TV demo, even if that demo wasn’t exactly too interested in TV.

It seems after ten years, though, G4 will soon be going away. NBC Universal, which owns G4, has decided to rebrand the channel older and more hip, in the vein of the magazine GQ. The change is likely to begin in 2013. Read more after the jump.



Variety broke the news of the change though a spokesperson for the network wouldn’t comment.

The story says they’re hoping the channel remains true to its tech-saavy roots, but will begin to adapt them to a “modern male” audience “whose interests span beyond the dorm room or messy bachelor pad.”



Currently, G4?s TV programming competes with the likes of Spike, History, SyFy, Discovery and A&E. The GQ-rebranding (which, to be clear, is just an easy way to describe it and not an official, magazine related qualifier) would help radically differentiate the network from those channels and, one would image, attract advertisers who sell products that are a bit more upscale and could afford more expensive ads.

What this means for G4?s coverage of events like Comic-Con, E3 and Attack of the Show is uncertain, but it doesn’t look good. If the future G4 doesn’t focus on such events, that opens a door for someone to step in. Whether that’ll be an Internet channel like Nerdist or something else should be interesting to watch.

Though I was certainly in the target audience for G4, I never considered it a go-to stop for pop culture news. Still, I can’t help but feel a little sad today that a channel that came close to sharing my passions is finally going away. Are you upset that G4 will be going away? Were you a fan of the shows? Did you consider it must watch for pop culture news?



So yeah, sure G4 has been crap since well... hmm... 2005 maybe? But it's a shame that the channel is going. They claim that GQ will hold true to G4's tech/gamer roots but we all heard that story before so we know how that's going to turn out.

G4/Tech TV
2002 - 2013

Good night sweet prince.

[Magus]

Yeah, it's just another name change. It already changed it's line-up significantly to consist mostly of episodes of COPS, Ninja Warrior, and movies with a twitter feed.

[Flarecobra]

Nothing'l change outside of maybe 1-3 shows.

[Nique]

I was going to say good riddance, but then it said they were going to re-brand it as something which is likely to be equally as awful

[synkr0nized]

I was going to say good riddance, but then it said they were going to re-brand it as something which is likely to be equally as awful

.

[POS Industries]

Nah, I doubt it will be equally as awful.

Odds are it'll be worse.

[Thadius]

Gawd, am I the only one that can remember Tech TV when it was still called that?

I thought some sort of bottom had been reached when they were absorbed by G4.

Apparently the answer to the question I had never asked was: No. No the bottom has not been reached. They are researching all-new lows to reach for and then somehow subvert.

[Shyria Dracnoir]

Just when you think they've hit bedrock-bottom, they get more TNT.

[Magus]

Yeah, I used to watch it when it was Tech TV. I mean, I still watched it once in a while when it was G4, but much like Syfy they seemed to have forgotten what set them apart from all the other basic cable channels spinning out reruns of COPS.

[Jagos]

Am I the only one thinking about making a tech related show with news in regards to actual technology instead of male interests?

[Satan's Onion]

Am I the only one thinking about making a tech related show with news in regards to actual technology instead of male interests?

"Those are different things?" said the network executive, disbelief writ large across his features. "...I don't believe you. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's just an urban legend."

[Flarecobra]

The Screen Savers anyone? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waRkcLG2yRI)

[walkertexasdruid]

Yeah, I liked G4 when it actually had programs about video games. I have not watched in a very long time.

[Aerozord]

"Those are different things?" said the network executive, disbelief writ large across his features. "...I don't believe you. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's just an urban legend."

yea, good luck getting the marketing department to believe that female nerds are a thing.

[Flarecobra]

Guess what?

G4 is offically getting rid of their videogame content, including Attack of the Show.

Does this mean that now there is absolutely no point to watch G4?

EDIT: Link to article (http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/335597)

[Kyanbu The Legend]

Whelp, It's safe to say a good number folks saw this coming.

On one hand it really doesn't matter as most gamers get their news on the internet.

[Sky Warrior Bob]

And the plug has been pulled on AotS & X-Play. Kinda suprising, since AotS had a pressence at NYCC (maybe just to get rid of he remaining SDCC stuff?).

Plus, those were the only shows on G4 that weren't reruns & were somewhat followed. I mean, I get why you might want to get rid of some of the format, or change up the shows somewhat, but I guess I don't see the point of keeping absolutely nothing of merit from the prior network.

Los Angeles, CA, October 26, 2012 – Attack of the Show! and X-Play are the longest-running and defining series for G4 through its first decade. With the shows ending production at the end of 2012, G4 is getting set to showcase the landmark series as they wind down their long runs on the network.

With upwards of 1,700 and 1,300 episodes, respectively, Attack of the Show! and X-Play defined the gamer culture for a generation of young men, and served as the launch pad for prominent personalities including Kevin Pereira, Olivia Munn, Chris Hardwick and Adam Sessler. Guests James Cameron, Ryan Reynolds, Jimmy Fallon, William Shatner, Sasha Baron Cohen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are among the notables who got their geek on. The shows also pioneered live-from-the-floor coverage of the two most important conventions in the game culture universe: San Diego Comic-Con and E3.

Leading up to their final episodes, Attack of the Show! and X-Play will look back at their most memorable moments, important scoops, entertaining programming and appealing hosts. A rotating lineup of guest co-hosts like John Barrowman, Michael Ian Black, Josh Myers, Paul Scheer, Rob Huebel and Horatio Sanz will join AOTS hosts Candace Bailey and Sara Underwood, and X-Play hosts Morgan Webb and Blair Herter as part of the farewell shows.

“Attack of the Show! and X-Play have been important for G4, and we want to acknowledge the creative people who have helped inspire and showcase the phenomenon of gamer culture,” G4 Media General Manager Adam Stotsky said. “With more than 3,000 episodes aired between them, we have more than enough great material to honor these innovators and their amazing contributions as we bring both shows to a close.”

Attack of the Show! debuted March 28, 2005 and from the start was the ultimate male guide to everything cool and new in the world of technology, web culture, gaming and pop culture. For the next few months, AOTS will mix new segments with audience favorites, such as the iPhone extravaganza on June 29, 2007, on the eve of the debut of the first generation of Apple’s market-changing smartphone. The July 2006 premiere of the first live-from-the-floor coverage from San Diego Comic-Con will be celebrated as well. Old friends will return to join the celebration, and the show’s signature cheeky attitude and feel-for-the zeitgeist will be very much in evidence.

X-Play made its debut almost two years earlier, on April 28, 2003 (on G4’s previous incarnation: TechTV), and immediately became the go-to destination for young men seeking the latest video game news, honest reviews, hands-on demos and exclusive video game trailers and footage. The year-end celebration will take viewers back through highlights of this landmark show’s history, including its exclusive live-from-the-floor coverage of the E3 convention in Los Angeles, the most important annual gathering for the gaming community. X-Play has also established a franchise of doing an annual year-end round-up of the best in a wide range of video games, and you can be sure those will be revisited before the show signs-off for good. As with AOTS, expect old friends to return too.

Attack of the Show! and X-Play will air original episodes through the end of the year.
http://www.deadline.com/2012/10/attack-of-the-show-x-play-cancelled-g4/

[Flarecobra]

Bob, I posted about that yesterday.