I just couldn’t pass up commenting on this.
Source: http://news-briefs.ew.com/2010/11/01/directv-drops-g4/
DirecTV will not carry G4 anymore after negotiations between the satellite provider and G4′s parent company, Comcast, ended Sunday.
…
According to a statement from G4, “…they [DirectTV] still plan to drop the network and deny G4 fans the only network that focuses on the popular gaming lifestyle.”
“Gaming lifestyle”? So just what exactly is the “gaming lifestyle”, G4? Let’s take a look at their schedule.
Let’s start off on Monday morning. I’ve been awake for a little bit, had my coffee, finished reading up the news, and now ready to power on the TV and see what awaits me. It’s 9 am Eastern. What could possibly be on?
1 hour of Cheaters
“Illicit affairs and highly emotional confrontations caught on tape.”
1 hour of Ninja Warrior
“A challenge of Olympic proportions that is designed to test the limits of human ability.”
Unbeatable Banzuke
“Professional and amateur athletes face the most outrageous and difficult physical challenges ever conceived.”
Whacked Out Videos
“A collection of bizarre and just plain hilarious viral videos from around the world.”
Reruns of Attack of the Show and X-Play
These are G4’s flagship shows that actually focus on gaming and entertainment.
1 hour of That’s Tough
“Counting down the world’s toughest [insert occupation here]”
2 hours of Campus P.D.
2 hours of COPS reruns
I think these shows are pretty much self-explainatory.
X-Play
Attack of the Show
2 episodes of Heroes
I can see Sci-Fi programming being close to gamer related.
Another 2 hours of COPS reruns
That’s just Monday. In fact, I can stop with just Monday. What I’ve listed here is the whole G4 programming catalog (outside of “The International Sexy Ladies Show”, “It’s Effin’ Science”, “Web Soup”, and “Wired for Sex”.) Yeah. That’s it. Every G4 show can be shown in a single day.
And that, according to G4, is the “gaming lifestyle”. That is NOT the “gaming lifestyle”, G4. In fact, the only thing it is is an insult to gamers everywhere. Looking at your lineup, you assume that all gamers are idiotic, no-brain, half-wits that enjoy mindless, no-intelligence programs that only cater to middle and high school teens. You have one 30 minute program in your 24-hour lineup that actually focuses on gaming. It’s obvious the only “lifestyle” you’re focused on is the “lifestyle of the 13-18 male demographic”.
We have to remember that G4’s parent company is Comcast. The same narrow minded company that couldn’t figure out how to market TechTV programming after its takeover of the network. (Because it’s too hard to see how tech and gaming overlap it seems.) Of course, we all know G4/Comcast just wanted TechTV’s larger distribution over pay television providers, X-Play, and nothing else.
Honestly, I think DirecTV is doing a service to its subscribers by removing this channel.
via The Consumerist