DirectTV drops G4

[Benstamania]

Eh, I figure this is game related...

Says that they are 'among the lowest rated networks'.

Bad news for the 18 million or so DirecTV subscribers out there: Your ability to watch reruns of Cops anytime you want isn't coming back. The satellite provider dropped the Comcast-owned (and Cops-heavy!) G4 channel last week and today confirmed that it's not interested in reconsidering that decision. "At this time we are no longer negotiating and we have no plans to put G4 back up," a DirecTV rep told EW.com. "But why?" you might be asking yourself out loud. Well, the rep has some choice words for the sometimes-video game-related channel. "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." Ouch!

For its part, G4 said in a statement, "We have been trying to engage DirecTV in fair and reasonable discussions to continue to carry G4. G4 offered DirecTV the same basic deal we have had for the past three years. However they still plan to drop the network and deny G4 fans the only network that focuses on the popular gaming lifestyle." This might be a little early, but we've already put a bid in on Sessler's soapbox on America's Auction Network ... which is actually a real channel that DirecTV still carries.

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/01/directv-drops-g4/

I hate 98% of G4... when they actually have video/tech related stuff they're watchable but when it's just bad Japanese game shows and friggin' Cops/Cheaters... it's a worthless station.

I'd actually like to see the relevant people on G4 (Sessler, Webb and a few others) leave and head to SpikeTV... who actually have much better game related programs.....when they have them. They could actually be what G4 used to be (or even better) if they tried.

 

[Soapy]

I miss TechTV. :[

 

[Harriet Tubman]

Just watch Revision3...

 

[Benstamania]

Thing is, I actually like some of the personalities on G4... I just mostly hate their awful programing.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

I hate the whole of G4. Cant stand Kevin Perrera(sp) and HATE Oliva Munn. Morgan Webb doesn't bother me too much tho. That channel just blows.

 

[Fading]

Just noticed this thread, can't say I really care, I'm so indifferent to G4 anymore lol. Most of the time I was just flipping past the channel, and it was indeed usually cops or some other very old rerun of a show I don't care on. When it comes to the G4 shows themselves, they're so bland it's pointless. Most reviews, just like almost every other reviewing magazine, or website, give everything a 3-4 out of 5, or 7-8 out of 10. They don't talk about anything interesting or relavent, most of it is just praising the next big advertised game like COD.

I think the last thing G4 I cared enough to watch was that 4 panel weekly thing with Adam Sesslar hosting, and even that I watched off of their site and not on TV itself.

Not to count I liked Tech TV, so still haven't fully forgiven G4 for buying it, relegating all of Tech TV's personalities to trivial tasks, and then firing them all so they could put more boring shows on. Then again I'm just not liking where gaming TV is going in general anymore. I turned on Sci-fi channel one night, bored and looking for something to watch, and they had the most God awful reality gaming show on. If you're going to make a channel/TV show about games, then make it about the games themselves, and talk honestly about them. Quit dry humping every big name in the industry and smudging you're reviews of piss poor games, or getting a bunch of ppl who probably normally don't care about games, promising them 1 million to play Forza, and calling them the world's best gamers. It just feels so cheesy and disingenuous.

 

[Benstamania]

The only show I honestly like on G4 is Xplay... I may completely disagree with sometimes but I still feel like Sessler and Web are the only ones that actually play games on that channel.

 

[zenith16]

Their not only ones Ben . There's the Review team from Reviews on the Run also known as judgement day in the states owned by victor Lucas. the did the look in the making of the Batman AA game . But i'm guessing since you barely mention them some producer state side got stupid and had stop airing fully state side even though the shows still running. which is just weird.

 

[craigdbfan]

Old G4 was the ****.

Cinematech, Filter, Judgement Day, Arena, G4tv.com were all great shows until they all got scrapped for crappy reruns and complete and utter streamlining turning the network less video game oriented.

Don't blame DirectTV for doing that move. G4 is a mere shell of what it once was.

 

[Raiden]

I think Spike should just buy G4, and keep some of the good shows like X-Play while dumping the rest. Maybe Olivia Munn saw this coming, so she decided to start looking for greener pasture elsewhere.

 

[Anno_Domini]

No biggie as G4 primarily sucked.

 

[Spider-Vader]

I want old G4 back.

 

[Orb]

Only showed I watch was Reviews on the Run ( way better than X-Play) and sometimes EP Daily.

 

[William_C]

I think G4 just needs to be an online news, and review site like IGN. Become a bigger online presence, because I dont know anyone who's really, really watched G4, since like 2001. Back when they had some Cinematech, and those two dudes walking around outside and reviewing games.

 

[zenith16]

I think G4 just needs to be an online news, and review site like IGN. Become a bigger online presence, because I dont know anyone who's really, really watched G4, since like 2001. Back when they had some Cinematech, and those two dudes walking around outside and reviewing games.

The latter you mentioned is victor lucas and Tommy tallarico.

victors show is still on only he's gone through a number of new main hosts before settling on Scott C Jones of new york and reviewer of crispy gamer magazine . You can see them both here.
http://www.reviewsontherun.com/

and victor on occasion on Ep daily here. http://www.elecplay.com/

and he has both a decent news and review staff team for both shows now. S o it's more then 2 guys now.


If you can't see them still on those site their in video BTW I can hook you up to victors tweeter and Face book pages. tell him I sent ya.


As for Tommy T since leaving both shows he's be running "video games live" the music show owned and run by him on occasion he'll show up and let scott and vic review on video games live and everthing goes back to music.

all the greatest hits from video game music ever made plays on that show Tommy does.

 

[misjuevos]

doesn't matter really, if you want to you can just watch clips of segments from the shows online. x-play and aots are only 2 shows and don't really constitute an entire channel, so this was inevitable. also comcast has g4 exclusively in hd, i know direct tv is always adding hd channels so this might have been the straw. i used to watch x-play for the gameplay footage. it was the first show i saw that didn't just show a trailer, but actual gameplay. i don't really care about their reviews. i try out stuff for myself, not rely on someone else's opinion. reviews are such a dumb concept.

 

[StrainedEyes]

Occasionally when channel surfing I see some weird horror movie or bad action movie that I'd like to watch, and at the first commercial break I'll realize that it is G4.

This is my only experience with the channel.

 

[Solidus]

Only showed I watch was Reviews on the Run ( way better than X-Play) and sometimes EP Daily.

The show was actually the best from 98-2000 when it was Gamespot TV. They took gaming seriously, and gave me news and reviews that I wanted to hear, and did not bog it down with horrible jokes, or attempts to be funny. That or I can't stand the MTV vibe G4 has anymore trying to make gaming "cool" or something.

Since the days of Gamespot TV it got worse and worse, though most Extended Play was great, but then when it became X-Play it started to go even further downhill.

 

[zenith16]

Reviews on the run/ Judment day and Ep daily was always it's own show and were based in canada and still are they just travel alot when not in the main studio to meet game creators and later do reviews when their not doing interviews for EP daily. which is still on..

They were never apart of Game spot solidus. sorry.

 

[Solidus]

I'm talking about X-Play, sorry, not the show your talking about. What your saying may be true, but Gamespot has connections to what the show was from Adam Sesslers original run to now. It may have merged with other game shows, but it's roots were with Gamespot in 1998.

Gamespot TV was the original show under ZDTV that Adam Sessler hosted.
Later it turned into Extended Play when CNET bought ZDTV and changed the name to TechTV (2001) and they changed the name from Gamestop TV to Extendd Play.

Then G4TV merged with TechTV which in turn made it into X-Play later on. Which Sessler was the only one to stay afloat during the whole time. They may have merged with other stuff, but even look up X-Play online and it will tell you the other incarnations of shows they use to be.

Look up Gamestop TV on youtube old episodes are still there.

So...yea.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Play

And I know this because I've watched the show since it's beginning.

EDIT: Again I'm talking of X-Play if I did not make myself clear. Since this is a thread about G4TV.

 

[zenith16]

No victor Lucas has said and showed his beginning of the show Ep daily and reviews on the run he started the show after the show he was on called boarder town a cow boy show about a RCMP officer and a u.s . sheriff protecting some port in between Quebec and Vermont. ended

And used his own earning as an actor to start it and went on interviewing developers and those developers helped by helping him with special effects and then Tommy tallarico join in the mid 90's as his partner. I'm sorry man he was never connected to game spot . do you want me to bring him here and tell you I can I have no problem with it. it about time some people on this site get to know about victor lucas two shows any way.

theres a you tube thing for it as well. it was never apart of game spot i'm sorry. the only that's connects the two is they look in to the gaming industry. but un like game spot the people that work for Ep and reviews on the run judgment day are more then reviewer interviewers.

they've actually worked in the industry.

 

[Solidus]

Dude again, I'm not talking about that show, we are talking about X-Play. Which is what I quoted off of Orb, he said he liked the show your talking about better then X-Play, which then I replied X-Play when it was Gamespot TV was much better.

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT X-PLAY, and X-Play was once Gamespot TV.

Here is an old episode with Adam (again I am talking X-Play, which use to be Gamespot TV though it seems to be combo of many shows from G4 and TechTV when they merged)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSIx7YBkv30&feature=channel

Adam has more hair back then too.

 

[zenith16]

oh well I guess I got some what confussed. though that's weird that X-PLAY was once game spot at one point. lol not sure how that happened. must have really been along time ago. if can't remember that event. sorry for the confusion. Also didn't help my computer was crashing on me for a lame reason at that time I was posting . needs a tune up I guess.