G4TV to close? brand merged with E

[disciple]

Comcast is consolidating its West Coast entertainment networks, bringing G4 management under the E! Networks tent.


E! and Style chief Ted Harbert has been given the newly created title of CEO, Comcast Entertainment Group. He will continue to report to Comcast Programming Group President Jeff Shell. G4 President Neal Tiles, who joined the network in September 2005, will now report to Mr. Harbert.

G4's executive staff will move into E!'s Los Angeles offices. Sources said layoffs among the G4 staff are likely, though Mr. Harbert said it's too soon to tell.

"When there is consolidation, if we find there's overlap in administrative and support positions, we'll have tough calls to make," he said. "But we haven't looked at that yet."

Mr. Harbert said he has not yet decided whether G4's Santa Monica production facilities will move as well. "They're shooting shows in very expensive space, but we're already maxed out at this building," he said. "I don't know what the answer is, but nothing will happen for a while."

Mr. Harbert's duties for E! and Style will not change. As for G4, Mr. Harbert said he will weigh in on programming decisions but emphasized that Mr. Tiles will continue to run the network.

"I believe that when somebody has a title that says they run the operation, they should run the operation," he said. "My main job is to fight to get him resources [from Comcast] for programming and marketing. They don't have nearly enough of a marketing budget."

Since Comcast launched G4 in 2002, the network has had a difficult time gaining traction. Its video game brand attracts demographically desirable young male viewers, but too few of them. During the third quarter, G4 was ranked 57th out of 64 basic cable networks.

In the past year, the channel has tried to expand its brand to a general-interest young men's network with acquisitions including "Star Trek" and "Arrested Development."

"I do agree with the vision of going after young men more than just going after gaming," Mr. Harbert said. "Gaming has been demonstrated as being too narrow."

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=10889

so what's next?

[Arcmanov]

"Gaming has been demonstrated as being too narrow."

WTF!!?

This man OBVIOUSLY has never been a gamer, or else he would have a totally different point-of-view.

Gaming is now a full-on mainstream form of entertainment.
Maybe if G4 focused their programming more on GAMING then their placing might improve.  I personally think their
moving away from pure gaming-centric shows have (backfired?) turned off a lot of their viewers (like me).
'Fast Lane'!!?   COME ON G4!!!  Just one example of what I mean, so is no surprise if they decide to bloody well
close down the channel.
Maybe if G4 became a gaming/anime channel, they might see their stock take a signinficant jump, because we all
know that gaming and anime share the same demographic.

[Saxito Pau]

steups!!

evern since TECHTV was renamed to G4TV and their shows became crappy I locked off watching that station..

and now they gonna make it MORE crappy! like Arc said they should just close down the channel...

I am definitely gonna un-program it from my remote...

[Nephilim]

because we all know that gaming and anime share the same demographic.

for true but, allyuh forgetting another thing, gaming and computer is general go hand in hand,if it wasn't for the demand in game performance some thing might never have been invented, to tell you the truth G4TV was a stab in the heart to all the techies out there i mean how many times you will see 100 different shows review the same game? They take screen savers, F%$& it up, and put that attack of the show crap, personally, i hope E! come and F up G4 like G4 did techTV.

If you liked TechTV better use this in your sig!

[Kenji]

i think it just too late now, G4 is dead. TechTv fueled the tech, gaming , and a small amount of anime demographic. But G4 is niether tv for mainstream young males or for gamers. Instead its a hybread, which has given raise to shows like AOTS. And because of trying too provide to both audiences there video gaming shows are now crap - I HATE NEW X-PLAY,AND CHEAT WAS ALWAYS CRAP

It only have two redeeming qaulities the Star Treks and the factor that Oviler Munn HOTT! lol

[W1nTry]

Good ridance to bad rubbish is what I think. I agree that TechTv was the $h1t. I used to watch that more than any other channel (even the movie channels) when it was on. Shows like call for help were amoung my favs. Man like Leo was around in dem days. That whole G4 game dominated theme was just not my cup of tea. Ah well.... so if G4 and TechTv became the Hybrid G4TV... does that mean we will get another hybrid? E4TV??? where we watch celebrity geeks party on the red carpet 0_o whilst Games play on large screens in the background?

[Kenji]

i doh see how that in anyway could work, i many unless men does watch E! to see half naked pics of celebrities (lol!), it would be feeding two quite different demographics

[EmpireKing]

WTMC rong wit this fudgin channel....I hope they bring out d females tho

[Synchronomyst]

I often asked myself..."Can G4 get any f**king worse?"


Here we go.

[steveunderwood0]

The only thing I'll miss is Morgan Webb....XPLAY....and ST:tng

[Kenji]

In the merge they go be crazy not to keep around xplay, is probably there most popular show, even as a shell of its former self

[New Era Outlaw]

One can only hope that E! has a small sliver of intelligence and ultimately decide that G4TV should head back into the TechTV format to have even a ghost of a chance.

Then again, they -did- give Anna Nicole her own show. (shudders)

[Eroo]

From the moment they shut down Screen savers to put on AOTS I stopped watching that stupid channel.

[Kaizen]

i miss the old techtv
when there was freshgear , call for help , screen savers , xplay

sigh

[vivman1107]

Ok, ok. Hold up. Did someone say they will miss Morgan Webb? Is she gone? Did I miss something? If they get rid of her, they need some good bitch slap yes.

[Kenji]

i doh if she gone completely, but i haven't seen her in a while on xplay, they always have someine subing

[EmpireKing]

yer on for ah while now i seeing some gyul from AOTS wit adam

[Qloxx]

the only thing i watch on g4 is X play never liked ATOS, wish Martin Seargent was still there but under the controll of E! they gonna Suck NUTS, BUTTS and many other parts i mean can you imagine the simple life season one now showing on g4 screw them FLOW or whatever take the F***ing cable back i going to use my tv for games and movies $#!t 

[wesleigh]

na i see an episode of xplay where dey say how morgan gone for some "upgrades" {surgery}. She sweet and all but i did like d gyul from unscrewed, she was a hott lil mixed ting. oh and d old gyul from filter, dat was a sweet chinee.
me eh know boy G4 is jus crap imagine dem best shows hav nutin to do wit any of their own production units. Star trek and xplay is dem only shows to me...and wats wit every 6mths dey firin hosts-dem is hearty foods or sumtin orwat

[Qloxx]

What happen she is yuh lil sister or what because i see no disrespect in de man words Empire.