We all knew the world's first and only video game network, G4 TV, was not long for this world. Last fall it was announced that the channel would be rebranded, to appeal to an older, broader male demographic. As a result, all video game coverage would come to an end.
Well G4's days have officially been numbered. It's final broadcast date is April 21. The following day, April 22, is when its replacement will take cover: The Esquire Network.
The New York Times reports that Bonnie Hammer, NBCUniversal's top executive, hopes that it will become “an upscale Bravo for men.”
Given that Bravo's focus has become programming that is designed to appeal to women, and which is also owned by NBCUniversal, The Esquire Network being the male compliment means a one-two punch that makes a lot of sense. At least on paper.
Adam Stotsky, general manager of the new network, is also clear about its primary competition. Which is the male-oriented, nonsports programming you'll find on channels like Spike, Discovery, and FX.
When citing the competition, Stotsky states "much of today’s programming targets men in a one-dimensional way.” And how their offerings all center on "tattoos or pawn shops or storage lockers or axes or hillbillies."
So, was the G4 experiment a failure? Perhaps. G4 always had a very specific audience, one that NBCUniversal was never able to truly capture or expand; "Realistically, guys who are into gaming are not necessarily watching television."
Is that a fair statement? Truth be told, not a whole lot are exactly mourning the passing of G4. Those who were present for its humble beginning might recall a channel that was indeed focused on exploring the numerous aspects of gaming. It was hardly perfect, but it was a start.
Unfortunately, NBCUniversal was perhaps less than pleased with the results, so various "proven" ratings draws were added to the channel, even if they had precious little to do with the channel. The acquisition of Tech TV was viewed as a way to re-invigorate its focus, by bringing on board the best that it had to offer.
But in the end, pretty much everything that was good was stripped apart and discarded. In the end, the G4 we have now bares little resemblance to the G4 of yesteryear. As a result, most gamers have indeed given up on the channel, for some time now.
Still, questions remain. Specifically from Adam Sessler, former host of X-Play, one of G4's last vestiges of its original programming focus:
Now that G4 has officially become a Men's channel, maybe they can afford the set of balls to tell me why i was fired.#GottaLetItOut
— Adam Sessler (@AdamSessler) February 11, 2013
