TechTV

TechTV (May 11, 1998 – May 28, 2004) was a 24-hour cable and satellite channel based in San Francisco, California featuring news and shows about computers, technology, and the Internet. It originally was called ZDTV by its founder, Ziff-Davis, when it debuted on May 11, 1998. It later was owned by Paul Allen's Vulcan Ventures. Vulcan Ventures sold TechTV to G4 Media (owned primarily by Comcast), which merged it with the video game channel G4 in May 2004 to form G4techTV. In February 2005, the name was changed back to G4, eliminating TechTV from the name completely.

History

Vulcan Ventures first invested in ZDTV in November 1998, acquiring a one-third interest from Ziff-Davis. In November 1999, Vulcan purchased the remaining two-thirds in a transaction that was completed on January 21, 2000. The deal (which permitted Vulcan to continue using the "ZD" initials and "red diamond" logo) was worth approximately $204.8 million.

Related Topics:
November 1998 - November 1999 - January 21 - 2000 - $

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In July 2000, it was announced that ZDNet would be acquired by CNET, placing ZDTV in the awkward position of using the initials and logo of a company that soon would belong to its main TV programming rival. On August 21, 2000, ZDTV was renamed TechTV, and a new on-air strategy was announced along with a slew of new series.

Related Topics:
July 2000 - ZDNet - CNET - August 21 - 2000

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Soon, TechTV made a huge commitment to live broadcasting when it launched a nine-hour experimental news program called TechLive in April 2001. The show, which catered to daytraders and business types, never caught on with TechTV's geeky audience. In November 2001, following a massive round of layoffs, TechLive was divided into three one-hour shows. In the spring of 2002, TechLive was cut further into just one thirty-minute daily news magazine show, with a focus less on tech news and more on how technology changed people's lives.

Related Topics:
TechLive - April 2001 - 2002

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TechTV boasted that it was available in more than 40 million households in the United States and Canada, as well as distributing content to more than 70 countries including Australia and the Asia Pacific region.

Related Topics:
United States - Canada

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TechTV Canada (now G4techTV Canada) launched on September 7, 2001 as a joint venture of TechTV, Rogers Media, and Shaw Communications.

Related Topics:
TechTV Canada - G4techTV Canada - September 7 - 2001 - Rogers Media - Shaw Communications

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Beginning in 1999, TechTV experienced repeated layoffs. In 2002, Silicon Spin (which launched in May 1998) and AudioFile (launched in August 2000) were canceled, but 2003 saw the introduction of several new shows (such as Performance, Robot Wars, and Unscrewed with Martin Sargent).

Related Topics:
1999 - Silicon Spin - May - AudioFile - August 2000 - 2003 - Performance - Robot Wars - Unscrewed with Martin Sargent

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In late 2001 and early 2002, many Comcast cable systems dropped TechTV from their channel lineups. At the time, some fans speculated that this was done to eliminate a competitor to the Comcast-owned G4. When Comcast's G4 Media acquired TechTV and merged it with G4 in 2004, a second theory (suggesting that Comcast's actual motive was to lower TechTV's value, and ultimately its asking price) emerged.

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