Saturday, January 18, 2014

THE END IS NEAR FOR G4TV


This broke in late December but I was really busy so, without further delay, lets prepare for the end. 

NBCUniversal owner Comcast has quietly announced that it is "ceasing distribution" of G4 at the start of January. 
[edit] 
"Zombie channels" like SoapNet and G4 have survived due to the quirks of cable distribution. NBCUniversal had planned to flip G4 into the new Esquire Network this year, but at the 11th hour decided to turn Style into Esquire instead. Style boasted better distribution (including a slot on DirecTV, which had previously dumped G4) and was considered expendable because of its similarity to other NBCU channels like Oxygen and Bravo. 
That gave G4 a stay of execution — but even at the time, NBCU said it had no plans to develop new programming or revive the channel. Once the home to signature original series like Attack of the Show and X Play, G4 canceled those programs at the end of 2012 and has existed on library and acquired fare for all of 2013. 
Comcast's announcement that it will no longer distribute G4 means the channel will lose the majority of its carriage (including Comcast's own cable systems). But NBCU will continue to program the channel for a bit longer, as some cable operator deals haven't yet expired. That means, in some parts of the country, this zombie will continue to roam the dial for now.

The end is near...

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