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TechTV (May 11, 1998 - May 28, 2004) was a 24-hours per day technology cable and satellite television channel based in San Francisco, California, featuring news and shows about computers, technology, and the Internet. It was originally called ZDTV by its founder, Ziff-Davis, when it debuted on May 11, 1998. It was later owned by Paul Allen's Vulcan Ventures. Vulcan Ventures has since sold TechTV to Comcast, who merged it with the video game channel G4 in late spring of 2004 to become G4techTV. Though the merger was an attempt to consolidate there was another price involved: mixed sentiment.
History
Vulcan Ventures first invested in ZDTV in November 1998, acquiring a one-third interest from Ziff Davis. In November 1999, Vulcan purchased the remaining two-thirds in a transaction that was completed on January 21, 2000. The deal was worth approximately $204.8 million. On August 21, 2000, ZDTV was renamed TechTV, and a new programming strategy was announced along with a slew of new shows.
TechTV boasted that it was available in more than 40 million households in the United States and Canada, as well as distributing content to more than 70 countries.
TechTV Canada (now G4techTV Canada) launched on September 7, 2001, a joint venture of TechTV, Rogers Media Inc., and Shaw Communications.
Beginning in 1999, TechTV experienced repeated layoffs. In 2002, Silicon Spin, which launched in May 1998, and AudioFile, launched in August 2000, were both canceled, but were made up for with more new shows such as Performance (2003), Robot Wars (2003), and Unscrewed with Martin Sargent (2003).
In late 2001 and early 2002, many Comcast cable systems dropped TechTV from their channel lineups. At the time, some fans speculated that this was done to eliminate a competitor to the Comcast-owned G4. When Comcast acquired TechTV and merged it with G4 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TechTV#Merger) in 2004, a second theory (suggesting that Comcast's actual motive was to lower TechTV's value, and ultimately its asking price) emerged.
Merger
On March 25, 2004, Comcast's G4, the gaming channel, announced a merger with TechTV. This move became hugely controversial among loyal fans of TechTV and Leo Laporte, because of a contract dispute with Vulcan that caused Laporte to leave TechTV. Around May 6, G4 announced that they would fire 250 employees from the San Fransico office by July 10, 2004, allowing around 80-100 employees to transition to G4's main office in Los Angeles if they agreed to move there. [1] (http://leoville.com/blog/index.php/TLR/comments/comcast_fires_techtv_staff/)
On May 10, 2004, Comcast completed the acquisition of TechTV from Vulcan Programming Inc. G4techTV was launched in the US and Canada on May 28, 2004. TechTV International did not change and its future is uncertain. As of June 6, 2004, TechTV International still broadcasts the old TechTV feed. Rumours on Slashdot say it will be shut down soon and G4techTV will be US/Canada only, but rumour is that E! Networks has bought the international distribution rights for G4techTV shows (E! Networks is a subsidiary of Comcast). However there is good news for TechTV International viewers. On January 3, 2005, TechTV International started airing some shows from G4TechTV. Some fans believe TechTV International will become part of G4TechtTV and start showing new shows that most TechTV International viewers have missed since the merger.
Most of the shows that were broadcast on TechTV are no longer in syndication due to the merger with Comcast's G4 on May 28, 2004. All TechTV content is now copyrighted by G4 Media, Inc.
On November 11, 2004, G4techTV fired about 100 employees including The Screen Savers' Alex Albrecht, Yoshi DeHerrera, and Dan Huard.
A few of the personalities and hosts that were featured on TechTV programming included Leo Laporte, Patrick Norton, Adam Sessler, Kevin Rose, Jessica Corbin, and Catherine Schwartz, some of whom may still be seen on G4techTV.
As of February 15, the TechTV name will be removed from the channel, leaving G4TechTV as G4: Video Gaming Television, with a fresh new look.
Programs
External links
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