The Warring States of NPF

http://www.slashfilm.com/g4-is-no-mo...-geek-more-gq/

Quote:

In a world where the Internet allows for infinite voices and instantanious news, TV just never seemed like a destination for pop culture news and opinions. However, if you wanted them, there was only one place to go: G4. The videogame/movie/music centric channel which started in 2002 long had a strangle hold on the geek TV demo, even if that demo wasn�t exactly too interested in TV.

It seems after ten years, though, G4 will soon be going away. NBC Universal, which owns G4, has decided to rebrand the channel older and more hip, in the vein of the magazine GQ. The change is likely to begin in 2013. Read more after the jump.

Variety broke the news of the change though a spokesperson for the network wouldn�t comment.

The story says they�re hoping the channel remains true to its tech-saavy roots, but will begin to adapt them to a �modern male� audience �whose interests span beyond the dorm room or messy bachelor pad.�

Currently, G4?s TV programming competes with the likes of Spike, History, SyFy, Discovery and A&E. The GQ-rebranding (which, to be clear, is just an easy way to describe it and not an official, magazine related qualifier) would help radically differentiate the network from those channels and, one would image, attract advertisers who sell products that are a bit more upscale and could afford more expensive ads.

What this means for G4?s coverage of events like Comic-Con, E3 and Attack of the Show is uncertain, but it doesn�t look good. If the future G4 doesn�t focus on such events, that opens a door for someone to step in. Whether that�ll be an Internet channel like Nerdist or something else should be interesting to watch.

Though I was certainly in the target audience for G4, I never considered it a go-to stop for pop culture news. Still, I can�t help but feel a little sad today that a channel that came close to sharing my passions is finally going away. Are you upset that G4 will be going away? Were you a fan of the shows? Did you consider it must watch for pop culture news?

So yeah, sure G4 has been crap since well... hmm... 2005 maybe? But it's a shame that the channel is going. They claim that GQ will hold true to G4's tech/gamer roots but we all heard that story before so we know how that's going to turn out.

G4/Tech TV
2002 - 2013

Good night sweet prince.