 | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | G4 Media |
| History | |
| Launched | May 28, 2004 |
| Closed | February 15, 2005 |
| Replaced by | G4 |
G4techTV was an American cable and satellite channel resulting from a merger between Comcast-owned G4 and TechTV. The network officially launched on May 28, 2004.
On March 25, 2004, Comcast announced its plans to purchase TechTV, a channel devoted to computers and technology. The purchase was completed on May 10, 2004, allowing Comcast to merge their G4 station with the newly acquired TechTV, resulting in G4techTV. G4techTV officially launched in the United States on May 28, 2004.
G4techTV kept shows from TechTV, such as The Screen Savers , as well as shows previously on G4, such as The Electric Playground . The merger caused one of TechTV's most prominent personalities, Leo Laporte, to leave the channel because of a contract dispute. Laporte had been the host of Call for Help, a call-in help show, which was cut after the merger. A new Call for Help series hosted by Leo Laporte began airing on G4techTV Canada (now called G4 Canada), the Canadian affiliate of G4techTV, on August 16, 2004; the series ended on February 26, 2007. The Lab with Leo Laporte replaced Call for Help in April 2007 before ending in August 2008. The Canadian produced version of the show was briefly aired in the United States from August 2005 to January 2006, though individual episodes could have been purchased through Google Video in the U.S.
On November 11, 2004, G4techTV announced that many of its employees, including Alex Albrecht and Yoshi DeHerrera, were terminated. This came as a shock to many, and outrage and anger were expressed on the G4techTV forums. G4techTV also announced the cancellation of its popular late night variety show, Unscrewed with Martin Sargent, along with its weekly news program Pulse. Unscrewed's host and supporting staff were terminated.
On February 15, 2005, less than a year after the merger, TechTV was officially dropped from the network's name, and the network's name changed to just G4.
On December 31, 2014, NBCUniversal discontinued all operations for G4; it was later relaunched on November 16, 2021, under Comcast Spectacor until that too closed on November 16, 2022.
The G4techTV Canada channel launched on May 28, 2004, through a partnership with G4 Media, Rogers Media and Shaw Communications, as a domestic Canadian channel called G4techTV Canada. It was similar to G4techTV, but with more of an emphasis on technology-related programming per its CRTC licence requirements. G4techTV Canada kept the G4techTV name until mid-2009 when TechTV was dropped from the network's name to simply become G4 Canada .
The shows listed below reflect the schedule of G4techTV until February 15, 2005, when the network's name was reverted to G4. [1]
The Screen Savers is an American TV show that aired on TechTV from 1998 to 2005. The show launched concurrently with the channel ZDTV on May 11, 1998. The Screen Savers originally centered on computers, new technologies, and their adaptations in the world. However, after it was taken over by G4, the show became more general-interest oriented and focused somewhat less on technology. The final episode of The Screen Savers aired on March 18, 2005. Repeat episodes continued to air until March 25, 2005 when its replacement program Attack of the Show! began 3 days later on March 28, 2005. Two spiritual successors to The Screen Savers, This Week in Tech on the TWiT Network with Leo Laporte and Tekzilla on Revision3 with Patrick Norton, were started after the original show concluded. On April 19, 2015, Leo Laporte announced The New Screen Savers, which began airing on TWiT network May 2, 2015.
TechTV was a 24-hour cable and satellite channel based in San Francisco featuring news and shows about computers, technology, and the Internet. In 2004, it merged with the G4 gaming channel which ultimately dissolved TechTV programming. At the height of its six-year run, TechTV was broadcast in 70 countries, reached 43 million households, and claimed 1.9 million unique visitors monthly to its website. A focus on personality-driven product reviews and technical support made it a cultural hub for technology information worldwide, still existing today online through its former hosts' webcasts, most notably the TWiT Network.
Martin Sargent is an American television personality and was co-host of the This WEEK in FUN podcast with Sarah Lane. He is most well known from his time as a Segment Producer on TechTV's The Screen Savers and later as the host of his own late night talk show Unscrewed with Martin Sargent.
Catherine Michelle Schwartz is an American television presenter. She was formerly a co-host on the TechTV television program Call for Help with Chris Pirillo and Leo Laporte.
Xplay is a TV program about video games. The program, known for its reviews and comedy skits, aired on G4 in the United States and had aired on G4 Canada in Canada, FUEL TV in Australia, Ego in Israel, GXT in Italy, MTV Russia & Rambler TV in Russia, NET 25 & Solar Sports in the Philippines, and Adult Swim and MuchMusic in Latin America.
Leo Laporte is the former host of The Tech Guy weekly radio show and founder of TWiT.tv, an Internet podcast network focusing on technology. He is also a former TechTV technology host (1998–2008) and a technology author. On November 19, 2022, actor, writer, musician, and comedian Steve Martin called into Laporte's radio show to announce Leo's retirement from The Tech Guy radio show. Laporte's last new radio show was December 18, 2022 with reruns for the remainder of the year. Rich DeMuro later appeared on the show to announce that he will be taking over in January with a weekly show, recorded on Saturdays, called "Rich On Tech."
G4 was an American pay television and digital network owned by NBCUniversal and later Comcast Spectacor that primarily focused on video games.
Fresh Gear is a television program on ZDTV then known as TechTV that showcased the latest in personal technology. It was hosted by Stephanie Siemiller and Chris Leary. The original hosts were Jim Louderback and Sumi Das.
Amber Dawn MacArthur is a Canadian television and netcasting personality, bestselling author of two books, and keynote speaker. MacArthur is the former co-host of BNN's App Central and Bloomberg Brink, G4TechTV's Call for Help, and TWiT's The Social Hour. She was the most followed Canadian television personality on Twitter in 2008. In 2018, she was named DMZ's 30 inspirational women making a difference in tech.
G4 Media, LLC is an in-name only unit of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming which maintains the programming of G4, a defunct 24-hour cable and satellite channel dedicated to video games, along with its former competitor, TechTV/ZDTV. NBCUniversal holds a controlling interest in G4 Media, with Dish Network holding a minority interest of approximately 12% because its former parent company held a minority interest in TechTV and owned Dish Network. Prior to the Comcast/NBCUniversal merger, Comcast owned the network, previously named G4 Media, Inc.
Attack of the Show! (AOTS) is an American live television program that aired on G4. AOTS features segments on pop culture, video games, and movies. After an initial run from 2005 to 2013, the show was revived in 2021 and canceled again when the network closed in 2022. The second incarnation of the program featured an ensemble cast, including returning original host Kevin Pereira, Kassem G, Fiona Nova, Gina Darling, Will Neff, and Austin Creed.
The Site is an hour-long TV program devoted to the Internet revolution. It debuted in July 1996 with MSNBC's launch, and aired Monday through Saturday, reaching 35 million homes. Soledad O'Brien hosted The Site, along with her animated co-host Dev Null, voiced by Leo Laporte.
David Lawrence Prager is one of the co-founders and Vice President of Special Projects for Revision3. He has also worked for ZDTV, TechTV, and G4.
Kevin Elder Pereira is an American television personality and host.
The Tech Guy was a widely syndicated US radio show hosted by Leo Laporte, formerly of TechTV and later with TWiT.tv. The show, which was first exclusively broadcast on KFI 640 AM in Los Angeles, was picked up for syndication by Premiere Networks in February 2007. Laporte streamed video of his side of the show on TWiT Live, including caller audio. The show was available live on Saturdays and Sundays at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time.
Kevin Rose is an American Internet entrepreneur who co-founded Revision3, Digg, Pownce, and Milk. He also served as production assistant and co-host at TechTV's The Screen Savers. From 2012 to 2015, he was a venture partner at GV.
G4 was a Canadian English-language specialty television channel owned by Rogers Media. The name was licensed from NBCUniversal, whose parent company Comcast formerly owned a minority stake in the channel. Based on the U.S subscription networks TechTV and G4, the channel was originally focused on technology-themed programming.
Cheat! is a TV show on G4 that provided cheat codes, strategies, and other hidden features for video games. The show was hosted by Kristin Adams, who replaced original host Cory Rouse in January 2005. Cheat! last aired February 19, 2009 on G4.