G4 Turns on Fans, Cancels AOTS and X-Play in Lieu of "More Sophisticated" Entertainment

In an unprecedented move, the popular cable channel G4, which is known for being the center for all things popular in gaming, comic books, pop culture, movies, nerd and geek culture, has decided to cancel arguably its two most popular programs, Attack of the Show and X-Play. This news comes as the channel undergoes a rebranding that will turn away from the very source material that made it popular in the first place, gaming.

The final episodes of both shows will air in December of this year, leading up to the finales that will have rotating guest-hosts for AOTS joining current hosts Candace Bailey and Sara Underwood and X-Play hosts Morgan Webb and Blair Herter. Guest hosts will include the likes of John Barrowman, Michael Ian Black, Josh Meyers, Paul Scheer, Rob Huebel and Horatio Sanz.

According to TVGuide.com, which was one of the first outlets to produce the story, both shows will have farewell episodes that will include former guests and hosts returning as well as re-airing favorite segments from the past, including AOTS' coverage of the San Diego Comic-Con and X-Play's coverage of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).

According to General Manager of Media for G4 Adam Stotsky, "Attack of the Show and X-Play have been important for G4, and we want to acknowledge the creative people who have helped inspire and showcase the phenomenon of gamer culture. With more than 3,000 episodes aired between them, we have more than enough great material to honor these innovators and their amazing contributors as we bring both shows to a close."

There are rumors floating around that G4 may be looking to partner with Esquire or another men's magazine, like GQ, as it moves forward into quote "more upscale, sophisticated guy TV space."Possible new names for the channel include G4Men, as well as some other truly pretentious names.

Feedback from the G4 community has not been positive in the slightest, with many fans of both shows claiming that this move is the nail in the coffin of G4, who has accrued some controversy in recent months with the sudden and distasteful release of Adam Sessler, the former co-host of X-Play and one member that had been with the channel since way back in the day when TechTV was still around and the exodus of Attack of the Show host Kevin Periera.

Some messages on the comment section of this story on G4's website include things like "Without these shows is G4 even a channel? Why would anyone watch it without these shows?" and "I'll just say what we're all thinking: Screw you G4. You turned your backs on the fans who made your network successful in the first place." One comment went as far as to rename the channel MTV4, which in my opinion is a pretty big insult.

I, for one, am truly saddened by G4's decision to do this and am pretty mad that the channel thinks that the true fans that made G4 what it is today are not "sophisticated enough". The silver lining here is that maybe the likes of Candace, Blair, Morgan and Sara can move on to bigger and better things, much like Adam and Kevin did. I wish them all the best and I thank them for the endless amounts of entertainment that they have given not only myself, but the entire gaming community as a whole over the past 10 years.

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G4 Dropped by Direct TV

What is sure to be one of the saddest days for gamers in recent history, the highly popular cable television channel G4 has been officially dropped by satellite provider Direct TV when the two could not settle negotiations. As of yesterday, game enthusiasts around the country flipped on their sets to find that their G4 channel had been removed.

It seems unusual that Direct TV dropped the channel from their program list. I mean, this isn't a typical thing in the television industry to my knowledge. However, G4 did release a statement expressing their profound disappointment with Direct TV's decision to not adhere to the same contract the two companies had agreed upon for the last three years.

According to G4, "We are very disappointed with Direct TV's decision to drop G4 as of November 1, 2010. We have done everything in our power to reach a fair and equitable long-term extension with them to continue to carry our network. This is especially frustrating since our offer to them was the same basic deal that we have had with Direct TV for the past three years. However, Direct TV rejected this offer thereby denying their subscribers the only network dedicated to today's web-inspired, tech-savvy, gamer lifestyle."

G4's statement went on to include a number for Direct TV subscribers to call if they wish to express their anger, dissatisfaction or rage with the company.

"If you are a Direct TV subscriber, please contact them directly at 1-888-9-WeAreG4 to voice your disappointment for dropping the service...We are sorry to our fans who are affected by Direct TV's decision and are hopeful that they will agree to have G4 back up on their service in the very near future. In the mean time, we thank you for your support."

Being an avid supporter of G4 and the entire gaming community I can only say that I am truly sorry for any fan of G4 that is a current subscriber to Direct TV. G4 is one of the most legitimate and highly respected gaming news outlets in the entire industry and in a market where G4 is the only dedicated network channel it is a shame that anybody should be denied their services.

I can only hope that the people at both G4 and Direct TV can resolve this dispute as quickly as possible for the sake of dedicated fans of both companies.

Source: IGN.com

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