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G4TV Canceled By Comcast For Poor Ratings After Telling Gamers 'If You Don't Like It, Don't Watch It'

October 17th, 2022 - 5:48 PM EDT by Brandon Wink

11 comments

The video game-centric cable channel G4TV, which many believed was canceled just before gaming hit the mainstream audience, was brought back in late 2021 as a way to get back in on the booming industry. Unfortunately, some quick controversies compounded by layoffs and more powerful competition online spelled doom for the channel, which was announced dead by Comcast yesterday.

Many were shocked and dismayed at this news, which had been leaked to Twitter before the official statement was even sent internally, meaning many found out they were suddenly without a job via social media notifications as word rapidly spread online.

With poor viewership being one of the main things pointed to in the internal letter, social media was quick to point fingers at two people in particular for the drop in viewership, Adam Sessler and Frosk.

During the initial rebirth of the channel, many took umbrage with Sessler's past tweets, saying that they were politically divisive and not good for someone who is supposed to be revered as a neutral opinion within the gaming space, leading to people blaming him for a drop in "conservative viewers."

At the same time, a notorious rant on male gaming by Frosk during a show segment, and then later Frosk's tweets shortly after a round of layoffs hit the channel, were pointed to as reasons the channel had a dwindling public relations image for months leading up to its death.

While some were picking up the pieces of their previous job and trying to figure out what to do with the future, a significant portion of people was seemingly glad to see the channel fall, with a lot of gloating and memes being made in celebration of its demise.

However, there's still no word on what will happen to some of the creative properties that did enjoy a viewership, as many fans were wanting to see them survive as a YouTube show or some other type of content.

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Comments 11 total

Rynjin

Oct 18, 2022 at 05:44AM EDT

They never should have brought it back to cable. Reviving the brand with faces like Sessler to provide some continuity as a Youtube brand would have been a smart choice, but Comcast is still chained to their damn cable service like a mill around their neck.

G4 was successful largely on the back of the personalities of its hosts. They needed to recapture that again, and a digital format is PERFECT for building a direct audience rapport in the same way they did on tv back in the day, but much more easily.

It's a shame, really, when something has to learn the same lesson for the second and probably last time.

4

Your Uncle Yonkers

Oct 18, 2022 at 04:05AM EDT

Whys everyone acting like them getting canceled was cuz of this lady when in reality this would have likely happened anyway.

G4 was already such a weird thing to bring back. It died for a reason. Not only is that format dead the format that killed G4 is already a dying industry thats how long it is past its prime.

They stopped doing skits or anything interesting to stand out years ago trying to come back in a landscape where most people get gaming news from streamers or social media and the few gaming news sites left are super old. Trying to bank off of nostalgia for a cable TV network no one under 25 will remember existing.

1

ConspiracyNut

Oct 18, 2022 at 10:21AM EDT Your Uncle Yonkers

It's generally poor form to stab a terminal cancer patient repeatedly with a kitchen knife.

3

JungleEvil

Oct 18, 2022 at 03:40AM EDT

But in all seriousness, how they were broadcasting it was archaic & backward. YouTube, PlutoTV and Twitch work for current day media consumption. But having it on cable? Even their core demographic that they are using nostalgia points to appeal too barely use cable to watch it on.

Its like an out-of-touch media dinosaur that’s to rich too die off was running the show from the background

3

UnKewln00b

Oct 17, 2022 at 08:26PM EDT

So here's the deal: I don't believe that G4 ever needed "Sexy Women" up front and center for their content. That being said, after being confronted by people mad about the absence of Sexy Women, it's probably not the best idea to tell them to go on a rant and tell everyone to stop watching when you're already a niche as fuck channel that was literally one "Don't like it, don't watch." rant away from everyone getting unemployed.

So yeah, you sure showed them, Frosk!

12

Pokejoseph64

Oct 17, 2022 at 08:18PM EDT

Never heard of this until now

2

BurgerBurgerBurger

Oct 17, 2022 at 07:03PM EDT

G4 was over the second they canceled Code Monkeys. Now they tried rebooting with no good content AND they alienated their core audience.

Yeah bang up job, retards!

3

Spaghetto

Oct 17, 2022 at 08:23PM EDT BurgerBurgerBurger

I know for a fact that they had good content. The problem is that it was available on-demand on Youtube for free. And that content is Scott the Woz.

0

BurgerBurgerBurger

Oct 17, 2022 at 08:26PM EDT Spaghetto

that sounds like he knew how DOA the whole channel was then!

0

A Concerned Rifleman

Oct 17, 2022 at 06:49PM EDT

To the core audience: "Well, if you don't like our subpar show that no longer appeals to you instead of a colossal homogenous puddle, then just don't watch it!"
Core audience: doesn't watch it
Absolute cretins: "Oh noooooo, how could this have happened? What did we do wrong?"

14

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