G4, which was also known as G4TV, was a digital network that primarily aired in the United States. It was owned by G4 Media ( Comcast ) and founded by Charles Hirschhorn. The primary focus of this channel was on video games, and it had a target audience of males aged from 12 to 28. DirecTV had G4 on channels 310 and 1310 (which was Video On Demand). The Dish Network had G4 at 191.
Early Days Of G4
The launch of G4 was primarily focused on the male 12-28 years of age demographic. The network was launched with 13 original series, but the early days had repeated premiers of Pong game until the series were out. The main goal of G4 was to create something having similarities to that TechTV but different by being more geared toward MTV’s demographics. Although the network was launched with 13 original series, it quickly became apparent that there were not enough similarities between G4 and TechTV. As a result, Comcast and Insight Communications decided to create their own network, G4, which focused mainly on the males 12-28 years of age demographic.
The Thirteen Original Series
The launch of the new series included a mix of sport-related shows and video game cheats and reviews. Starting with “SportsCenter”, the show featured a variety of content related to sports, including reviews of games, tips for playing them well, and interviews with athletes.
The Arena was a digital sports highlight show with play-by-play commentary with players in very intense multiplayer games. It was one of the most popular shows on television during its time.
The Blister was a video game preview, review, and interview site that focused on action/adventure games.
The top ten countdown was a top ten selection by viewers.
Cinematech is a show that showcases high-end digital art, including detailed game cinematics and trailers. ..
The Sweat section of the website was dedicated to sports game news.
Cheating is a problem in many video games. This show provides tips on how to avoid cheating in games. ..
The show focused on multiplayer online gaming and aired the insights of multiplayer games.
The show, which is currently known as the “Reviews on the Run”, features two professional gamers who will sit together and give their opinions on the latest games. This show is currently known as a competition where the best players from all over compete to win prizes.
Some more shows were there, having their whole sole focus on the sports and gaming industries.
Broadcasting:-
The Channel was launched in the United States of America in 2014. It aired English language programming nationwide and had its headquarters in Glendale, California. The channel was last aired on New Year’s Eve 2014 and has since been re-launched. ..
TechTV Acquisition:-
In 2004, two years after the launch of G4, TechTV was bought by G4 media, which is primarily owned by Comcast itself. This merger led to the firing of a large number of employees from both channels. The hosts of TechTV also lost their jobs, and several original shows from both channels were taken down. This left a large number of fans dissatisfied. In less than a year, TechTV was officially removed from the channel’s name, and it is now known as G4 only. ..
Closing Of G4
After the merger and dropping of TechTV, the viewership of G4 declined drastically as many decisions were taken that did not interest the employees as well as the views. The CEOs were changed frequently, and the content and schedule of the channel’s original programming were revised several times, leaving some shows to be aired only thrice a week. Many employees were laid off after that, and TV satellites started removing G4 from their lineup, citing that the network’s low viewership was not a good value for their viewers. DirecTV removed G4, citing the low interest of their subscribers as well as the low Nielsen rating being the primary reason for this step.
On January 6, 2014, G4 was removed from all the cable satellites worldwide. The last day of G4 was a marathon of Top 100 Video Games of All Times, followed by a debut episode of X-ray. Eventually, the network ended with a fading pong on the screen, which referred to its launch.
Revival And Relaunch
On July 24, 2020, the Twitter account of G4 was reactivated to announce the revival of G4. It was later announced that the high demands of the fans would lead to the revival of both ‘Attach Of The Show!’ and ‘X-play’.
On October 12, 2021, it was announced that the network would relaunch on November 16, 2021. The relaunch included a marathon on the original “Ninja Warrior”. G4 select also launched on Pluto TV in March 2022.
The G4 creators revived their original idea of creating something solely for the games and male interests, which includes a wide area such as geek, fandom, and the general audience shows aimed at young adult men. ..
A. G4 is a live streaming platform that offers a variety of content, including TV shows, movies, and sports events.
The primary live streaming sites are Twitch and Youtube, but it is also streamed on Philo ETC.
