Comcast Decides To Jettison Revamped G4 TV Attempt
Comcast – via their Spectacor division – has decided against continuing to produce a revamped version of the video game-centric television network G4 TV, only a year after its relaunch.
G4 TV was born in 2002, the product of corporate birth parents NBCUniversal and Dish Network [after an initial idea from former Disney TV executive, Charles Hirschhorn] with some envisioning G4 TV as a sort of modern-day successor to MTV for youth culture elements. The fledgling network helped to build the careers of some now-notable celebrities such as Olivia Munn and Chris Hardwick.
But G4 TV only lasted until 2014, and – after a seemingly excited wave of nostalgia on social media – new owner Comcast Spectacor revealed plans at 2020 Comic-Con to revive the network.
Spectacor, however, was mostly invested in mainstream sports and live events [Spectacor owns the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers as well as their home arena, the Wells Fargo Center, along with numerous other assets] but did have a stake in the popular esports industry, making the G4 TV revival somewhat feasible.
The revamped version of G4 TV was focused on putting content on YouTube and social media – rather than traditional TV – and had fostered multi-year agreements with Twitch along with TV deals with Verizon FiOS, Cox, Xfinity TV and Philo.
