Before I get to my full E3 report, I wanted to share some news which will be a comfort to those of you who, like me, were worried about the future of TechTV (cf. TechTV Is Dead), and specifically, X-Play.
While at E3, I ran into Adam and Morgan who were in between filming segments for their show. After Morgan blew me off when I tried to talk to her (“We’re doing appearances later today. Hey, can you give this guy an appearance card?â€), I did get a chance to chat with Adam. When I asked him about the future of TechTV in general, and X-Play specifically, he said, “I don’t know how much I can say, but I wouldn’t worry about it.†A little mysterious, but somewhat hopeful.
So now, the new network (creatively dubbed “G4TechTV,†which just rolls off the tongue) has a FAQ, appropriately called the G4TechTV FAQ. Said FAQ allays many of my fears. The salient points are:
1. Contrary to speculation, the new network will be available on DirecTV, among other providers, as opposed to only being available on Comcast cable providers.
2. Many of the best G4 shows will be retained by G4TechTV, including Fresh Gear, The Screen Savers, Unscrewed, and (yay!) X-Play.
…uh, and I guess that’s about it for new information. Still in question: Will any of the talent from G4 make the big move down to L.A. to work on the same shows? Will G4TechTV retain some studios in San Francisco so that the current shows can continue with the current hosts? Hopefully more information will be available soon. I’ll be checking G4TechTV for more news, and I suggest you do the same. And if you’re concerned, call the 800 number they have listed. Hopefully it will provide some comfort.
