G4 -- once a TV channel dedicated to gaming, now a TV channel dedicated to some things -- has been dropped by the DirecTV service after Nielsen data suggested it was one of the lowest rated networks in town.Â
“We are constantly evaluating our lineup in a new world where programming costs continue to rise at significant rates,†says a spokesman for DirecTV. “Since G4 is among the lowest rated networks based on the latest Nielsen data, we decided that it made sense to focus on preserving programming that is more relevant to our larger customer base.â€
G4 seems pretty pissed, explaining that it offered DirecTV the same deal it had done for the past three years but that DirecTV plans to "deny G4 fans the only network that focuses on the popular gaming lifestyle."
It's a sad fact that any kind of specialty network is nearly always doomed to lose its identity or die. There's a reason why Dairy Queen sells burgers, and it's not because you need to wash down ice cream with a slab of beef. It's sad that every channel needs to eventually become the same thing in order to succeed, but that's the distinct impression I get when I look at most major networks these days.Â
DirecTV drops G4 [Entertainment Weekly]
G4 -- once a TV channel dedicated to gaming, now a TV channel dedicated to some things -- has been dropped by the DirecTV service after Nielsen data suggested it was one of the lowest rated networks in town.
“We are constantly evaluating our lineup in a new world where programming costs continue to rise at significant rates,” says a spokesman for DirecTV. “Since G4 is among the lowest rated networks based on the latest Nielsen data, we decided that it made sense to focus on preserving programming that is more relevant to our larger customer base.”
G4 seems pretty pissed, explaining that it offered DirecTV the same deal it had done for the past three years but that DirecTV plans to "deny G4 fans the only network that focuses on the popular gaming lifestyle."
It's a sad fact that any kind of specialty network is nearly always doomed to lose its identity or die. There's a reason why Dairy Queen sells burgers, and it's not because you need to wash down ice cream with a slab of beef. It's sad that every channel needs to eventually become the same thing in order to succeed, but that's the distinct impression I get when I look at most major networks these days.
DirecTV drops G4 [Entertainment Weekly]
Contest:
9:11 AM on 11.02.2010 | 
great, g4's a cesspool of cops, cheaters and campus drinking. the only positives i can think of for that channel are unbeatable bonzuki, sasuke (ninja warrior) and i guess xplay but thats pulling it.</p>
If G4 actually provided a network focused on the gaming lifestyle, and not one devoted to the college fratboy, this probably wouldn't be happening.</p>
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I really, really used to like the G4 of old, but now it's just utter crap. I won;t be sorry to see it go.</p>
Somewhere, Chris Hardwick's head just exploded.</p>
And nothing of value was lost. </p>
Good. I will never forgive G4 for what they did to TechTV.</p>
It's about time they put this channel out of it's misery...1 Gaming show to 10 other reality TV shows does not make a gaming network.</p>
Eh, not going to affect my tv viewing.</p>
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Or lack there of. </p>
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Mostly just watch Netflix and Wheel of Fortune.</p>
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R S T L N E FTW!</p>
But where will I watch 7 year old episodes of cops now?</p>
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Least Sessler will be fine. Was the only good thing left on that network.</p>
X-Play and Ninja Warrior are the only two good shows on that network anyway.</p>
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Maybe G4 should use this as a wakeup call for the fact that their network fucking sucks?</p>
What a shame. Where else will I get to watch the same episode of Freaks and Geeks every day? Other than AOTS and Xplay, was there anything else tech related? I know G4 Canada still has Call for Help and the Lab with Leo, but even still those episodes are years old.</p>
In the days of "Cheat!" (hosted by Cory Rouse), "Cinematech", "X-Play", and "Attack of the Show" before they all stopped being about videogames as they are purported to be, and became a ridiculous mash-up of pop culture drivel, this would've been tragic. G4 has already been a failure for some years now, though, and the Gamer's TV Network has long sinced disappeared. We didn't just witness a death, we just watched the casket <em>finally</em> being buried.</p>
I've only watched so much G4 at a friends place, but what I saw was good enough to justify having it. AOTS is amusing, X Play is servicable, the random shmear of Japanese shows is welcome enough. I have no idea what the rest of their programming is like, but I'm not going to try and argue that G4 is varied in their lineup.</p>
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Of course, Oliva Munn is a good way to make me pay for anything, regardless of how much it sucks.</p>
G4 gives a horrible name to the industry. I really hope the entire channel dies in the near future.</p>
LOL good riddance, I used to watch TechTV and then G4 when it first started, then it turned into the everything thats syndicated channel. It literally shows nothing about games except XPlay. Who the hell watches G4 for marathons of Star Trek or Cops? How can they honestly be surprised that nobody wants their shitty channel at this point, its their own fault!</p>
Seriously G4, drop the Campus P.D. type crap and focus entirely on video games, tech, and science shows and you'll probably do alot better. We need a geek centric network and hopefully when G4 completely disappers, a new network will take it's place to become what it should be.
P.S. I miss Braniac, Effin Science decent, but nowhere close.
It was spike TV, only without the little bit of cool that channel has.
Glad its gone, it was great in the past, but over time it just started to...suck. Cops, Ninja Warrior, and Cheaters were the only things that I ever saw on there anymore...E3 coverage was the only reason I watched it after it went haywire.</p>
I wish FIOS would do the same so i dont have to see Cops in between Comedy Central and Current TV.</p>
Codemonkeys was the only thing G4 ever had that was worth a damn and it got old after season 1. Good riddence I say. </p>
Maybe if they had kept <em>Invent This, </em>this would have never happened. That and the jump from basic cable to premium. And the infrequency of actual gaming shows on the schedule. And the Cops marathons.</p>
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Really, they did this to themselves. Everytime they have a good idea (or at least a really really interesting one, like Code Monkeys), they kick themselves in the nuts. Maybe the same people who run Sony run G4 (in reference to the fact that every time fans want something, they ignore them and do something dumb).</p>
<em>"It's a sad fact that any kind of specialty network is nearly always doomed to lose its identity or die."</em></p>
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i agree with that statement to a certain extent but it doesn't apply to G4, because G4 was never a "network". </p>
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im sorry but, in the real world, a 'network' consists of more than just two original programs followed by 16 hours of <em>'Cops'.</em></p>
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G4 has always been a channel 'for morons, by morons' and i can't wait for other cable providers to follow suit.</p>
this was an awesome surprise, the channel was a bore, though i did like cheaters and there constant 4out of 5 gave reviews </p>
I've seen every UK gaming and animé channel go the same way. They always have a promising beginning with some decent dedicated shows and maybe a series or two from 7-12 every evening, then a few months down the line end up dropping all that to go through their obligatory low budget porn phase. (though if you wake up at 5am you may catch a half-hour show that's vaguely about video games!) When your headline act is Babestation, you know your about to sink. </p>
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The last animé channel I remember spent at least two weeks showing exactly the same episode of Cowboy Bebop at the same time, every day, twice a day. The network is still around, it doesn't do anime any more though. </p>
Attack of the show? More like the lack of a show.</p>
Can't say I'll miss it. I remember it as Tech TV; useful shows, had people over 40 who knew what they were talking about AND added insight on the tech industry, X-Play was at its peak, awesome anime series.</p>
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Oh, and who can forget Martin Sargent - that crazy bastard. That was a career cut short and kicked on its ass.</p>
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You know what, good. Sorry, but I just remembered how G4 killed one of the best channels that had the least it of integrity and provided a service in a cesspool of forgettable networks.</p>
I stopped watching 6 years ago. Honestly, the shows may have been interesting to some, but I found them boring. I honestly don't like watching tv about video games. I would like to see more TV on video game events, which were good, until they turned into mock frat shows?? They honestly thought that demographic would tune in? They don't watch anything on tv anymore, everything is internet now.</p>
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Honestly, the rating system is so obsolete, the way tv is presented is out of date. With the internet, recording capabilities and programs like netflix and Hulu, a revision of how they do business and the viability of networks will be rexamined in the future, I assure you.</p>
Not to defend G4, but the article mentions that Comcast owns it. Comcast and DirecTV aren't exactly on the friendliest of terms. Wonder if that played into it, especially since there are a ton of crap networks out there that I'm sure do worse than G4 (another article mentioned something about an all-auctioning channel that's available through DirecTV).</p>
Shut your face Jim, Dairy Queen sells awesome burgers and you know it!</p>
And That's why I watch Destructoid (the show).</p>
Direct TV is just the start, I have little doubt that soon G4 won't exist and if at all possible, X-play and AOTS will end up on either Comedy Central or Spike.
Eww DQ hamburgers! That said I think the problem with G4 is that they never really reported gaming news properly, gamers are by and large accustomed to reading about the events of their past time from a variety of different angles. Some of these angles are serious, others comical rather than focus on being MTV for games G4 should become something similar to CNN for games, focusing on journalism instead of whatever the hell they focus on nowadays. </p>
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Dust Clouds</p>
What's a G4?!</p>
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<span data-jsid="text">AOTS has its moments. X-Play is rad. I only wish a video game network devoted to video games actually showed more video game content. The heavy, steady stream of Cops, Cheaters, Campus PD and infomercials is fucking ridiculous. I regret to say, good riddance. Sadly, it's time...</span></p>
Man Jim's social critique is a tonne better than his actual reviews of late.</p>
I stopped watching G4 after about a year. TechTV was sooooo much better. Even Xplay has went to crap. I use to love that show. I'm not sad to see it go. </p>
Good.</p>
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I mean, just look at that picture. Kevin Periera is such a tool. Olivia Munn is a blockhead, and the network has little to do with video games anymore.</p>
I'm happy to have DirecTV and that they got rid of it. G4 Media turned The Screen Savers to the shitty Attack of the Show, got rid of Call for Help, and TechTV News! Not to mention they gave the axe to some great tv personalities, though thankfully they all went on to better things.</p>
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Can someone make a petition to get rid of G4 from other networks? And screw over Comcast for being the parent company of G4 Media.</p>
<span style="text-align: justify;">"It's a sad fact that any kind of specialty network is nearly always doomed to lose its identity or die."</span></p>
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No, it's because the target demo for this particular specialty network is not going to pay the cable bills for 2 hours of gaming programming. I'd also argue that the target demo was also not old enough to actually be paying the cable bill when the channel was in its heyday.</p>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">"There's a reason why Dairy Queen sells burgers, and it's not because you need to wash down ice cream with a slab of beef."</span></p>
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...Because they've been serving burgers for the last 50 years? They've been serving burgers longer than they have been serving Blizzards. I understand what you're driving at, though.</p>
the beginning of the end of G4?</p>
Aside from a random episode of Ninja Warrior or Banzuke, I almost never watch this channel these days. It's a shame, it had somewhat interesting programming a few years ago. As someone said earlier, maybe this will be a wake-up call that they've been going in the wrong direction.</p>
I won't be spuries of TimeWarrner follows thought with Dish not far behind.</p>
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Its sad that the network became the lame channel, but I don't think it was just because of Comcast buying it out. Everything you want to know about videogames is online so there's almost no point in having a network devotied to it. However that doesn't excuse them for not trying to make shows more appealing to gamers or reach out more to the gamming comunity. So its a lose-lose stiuation.</p>
Why choose between losing your identity or dieing when you can be like G4/TechTV and lose your identity and *then* die?</p>
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Seriously, though, they lost a lot of the specialty-gamer-network crowd when they started showing endless reruns of COPS and Cheaters.</p>
Electronic Playground!! Arena!! Anime Unleashed!! Judgement Day!!<br />
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Not surprised at all, the fact that its still a channel scared me because I thought some was enjoying the channel. They should quit cable telly & become internet base to save them money & bring back old shows (probably with new names).<br />
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Sessler is still the man & Morgan Webb is way hotter than Olivia Munn</p>
That's what they get for sucking. I never even flip through to G4 anymore. (though to be fair I probably would more often if I got it in HD)</p>
G4 has made a LOT of mistakes since they took over TechTV. Well more specifically, since they dropped TechTV. But if they won't get the chance to fix their mistakes if they're getting dropped from particular cable services.</p>
I like AOTS and X-play, even though X-play used to have more of a sense of humor. All their other current and past original shows over the last few years have been awful.</p>
Meh. The only thing worth watching on that network is X-play and AOTS, it's a shame that it's buried in 6 hours of Cops reruns per day, though.</p>
Title correction: "Direct TV drops COPS due to low ratings"</p>
I miss you funny x-play.</p>
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You were my childhood in a nutshell.</p>