Editing TechTV (section)

===Merger and consolidation===
In May 2003, TechTV retained Greenbridge Partners investment banker Mike Yagemann to explore partners or buyers for the network. According to an executive familiar with the network, it had incurred $120&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|120|2003|r=2}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US}}) in operating losses for owner Paul Allen since its 2000 acquisition.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nexttv.com/news/techtv-hires-banker-shop-network-73227 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411133011/https://www.nexttv.com/news/techtv-hires-banker-shop-network-73227 |title=TechTV hires banker to shop network |last=Higgins |first=John M. |website=[[Broadcasting & Cable]] |publisher=[[Future US]] |date=May 19, 2003 |archive-date=April 11, 2021 |access-date=March 18, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> In December, rumors circulated of an impending purchase of TechTV by [[Comcast]], the largest American cable carrier at the time. Such a purchase was expected to entail the merger of TechTV with Comcast's own video gaming channel [[G4 (American TV network)|G4]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wired.com/news/business/0%2C1367%2C61627-2%2C00.html?tw=wn_story_page_next1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031226212446/http://wired.com/news/business/0,1367,61627-2,00.html?tw=wn_story_page_next1 |title=TV Execs Go Gaga Over Gaming |last=Gaudiosi |first=John |website=[[Wired News]] |publisher=[[Lycos]] |date=December 17, 2003 |archive-date=December 26, 2003 |access-date=March 11, 2025 |url-status=dead}}</ref> On March 25, 2004, Comcast announced its purchase of TechTV, estimated by close sources to be under $300&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|300|2004|r=2}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US}}), as well as its upcoming merger of the network with G4.<ref name=FostBuy>{{cite web |url=http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Comcast-buys-TechTV-Cable-giant-to-fold-channel-2803325.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140825090348/http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Comcast-buys-TechTV-Cable-giant-to-fold-channel-2803325.php |title=Comcast buys TechTV: Cable giant to fold channel from S.F. into video game unit |first=Dan |last=Fost |website=[[SFGate]] |date=March 26, 2004 |archive-date=August 25, 2014 |access-date=November 24, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> At the time of the purchase, TechTV was available in 43 million households via cable and satellite, while G4 was available in 1.5 million households, thus allowing the combined network to reach 44 million households.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0%2C1412%2C63879%2C00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040619144119/https://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,63879,00.html |title=TechTV Fans Mad as Hell |first=Stacie D. |last=Cramer |work=[[Wired News]] |date=June 17, 2004 |archive-date=June 19, 2004 |access-date=January 4, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

John Higgins of ''[[Broadcasting & Cable]]'' pointed out that TechTV's ratings were minuscule despite its reach, signifying the network's difficulty in securing viewers in the increasingly fragmented market of cable television. Dan Fost of the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' also mentioned that the network's layoffs and programming changes were necessitated by the dot-com crash eliminating several of the network's advertisers.<ref name=FostBuy/> TechTV [[chief operating officer]] Joseph Gillespie, in 2018, recalled that the sale was driven by the acknowledgement of the internet proving to be a superior platform for publishing and distributing diverse, fast-evolving technology content, as television was too slow and costly. He noted the irony of TechTV being disrupted by the very technology it covered.<ref name=Rutgers>{{cite web |url=https://comminfo.rutgers.edu/news/intern-ceo-alums-road-success-media-industry |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200502145809/https://comminfo.rutgers.edu/news/intern-ceo-alums-road-success-media-industry |title=From Intern to CEO – An Alum’s Road to Success in the Media Industry |publisher=[[Rutgers University]] |date=June 11, 2018 |archive-date=May 2, 2020 |access-date=March 12, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Around May 6, TechTV announced the termination of 285 employees from the San Francisco office by July 16, allowing approximately 80 to 100 employees to transition to G4's main office in [[Los Angeles]] if they agreed to relocate there.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.wired.com/news/business/0%2C1367%2C63376%2C00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040619050530/http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,63376,00.html |title=TechTV to Lay Off 285 |last=Asaravala |first=Amit |website=[[Wired News]] |publisher=[[Lycos]] |date=May 7, 2004 |archive-date=June 19, 2004 |access-date=March 11, 2025 |url-status=dead}}</ref> On May 10, Comcast completed its acquisition of TechTV from Vulcan, and merged it with G4 to form [[G4techTV]] on May 28.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://38.119.81.11/html/about/press/showrelease.asp?pressrelease_key=47 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040525101418/http://38.119.81.11/html/about/press/showrelease.asp?pressrelease_key=47 |title=Comcast Completes Acquisition of TechTV |website=[[G4 (American TV network)|G4]] |publisher=[[G4 Media (TV company)|G4 Media]] |date=May 10, 2004 |archive-date=May 25, 2004 |access-date=March 11, 2025 |url-status=dead}}</ref> TechTV Canada underwent a similar name change on the same day.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.channelcanada.com/Article466.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071028060713/http://www.channelcanada.com/Article466.html |title=Tech TV Canada gets a new name and new programming |website=Channel Canada |date=May 17, 2004 |archive-date=October 28, 2007 |access-date=May 22, 2025 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

On January 11, 2005, G4 founder and CEO [[Charles Hirschhorn]] announced that, effective February 15, G4techTV's name would revert to G4 and receive a new presentation and programming primarily targeting male gamers in the 12–34 age bracket.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.g4techtv.com/html/about/press/showrelease.asp?pressrelease_key=64 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050113172846/http://www.g4techtv.com/html/about/press/showrelease.asp?pressrelease_key=64 |title=Video Game Television - Shifts Into Overdrive in '05 with Two New Series ''Formula D'' and ''Girls Gone Wired'' |website=G4TechTV |publisher=[[G4 Media (TV company)|G4 Media]] |date=January 11, 2005 |archive-date=January 13, 2005 |access-date=March 1, 2025 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Hirschhorn intended to veer the network away from TechTV's older tech enthusiast audience in favor of teenage males, and according to insiders, the G4techTV title was a temporary measure to appease cable operators, with a complete G4 brand being the ultimate goal. James Hibberd of ''[[TelevisionWeek]]'', in hindsight, equated the merger to a real estate transaction to increase G4's circulation.<ref name="TVWe050207">{{cite web |url=https://www.tvweek.com/in-depth/2005/02/g4-a-costly-quest-for-viewers/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116235021/https://www.tvweek.com/in-depth/2005/02/g4-a-costly-quest-for-viewers/ |title=G4: A Costly Quest for Viewers |website=[[TVWeek]] |publisher=Dexter Canfield Media |date=February 7, 2005 |archive-date=January 16, 2021 |access-date=March 16, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> G4techTV Canada's branding would remain until 2009, when it became a [[G4 (Canadian TV channel)|Canadian version of G4]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mediaincanada.com/2017/07/11/rogers-media-shuttering-g4/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814030622/http://mediaincanada.com:80/2017/07/11/rogers-media-shuttering-g4/ |title=G4 is powering down after 17 years in Canada |last=Maloney |first=Val |website=Media in Canada |publisher=[[Brunico Communications]] |date=July 11, 2017 |archive-date=August 14, 2017 |access-date=May 22, 2025 |url-status=dead}}</ref>