G4 shut down by Comcast less than a year after relaunch

Comcast Spectacor CEO Dave Scott informed staff via email that G4, the gaming-centric online and cable channel, will be shut down by Comcast immediately. Deadline reported Sunday that Scott told employees at the revived G4 the channel was being discontinued “effective immediately,” citing low viewership and unsustainable financial results.

“We invested to create the new G4 as an online and TV destination for fans to be entertained, be inspired, and connect with gaming content,” Scott said in an email obtained by Deadline. “Over the past several months, we worked hard to generate that interest in G4, but viewership is low and the network has not achieved sustainable financial results. This is certainly not what we hoped for, and, as a result, we have made the very difficult decision to discontinue G4’s operations, effective immediately.”

According to Deadline, the shutdown will affect “a few dozen” employees and contract workers at G4.

G4’s closure was sudden, but was also foretold by a handful of recent high-profile departures from the network, including president Russell Arons and X-Play hosts Kevin Pereira and Indiana “Froskurinn” Black. The Washington Post also reported that high costs related to guest talent, including popular content creators that demanded upward of $30,000 per day for appearances on the network, was likely a factor in Comcast Spectacor’s decision to ax G4.

G4 was revived as both a cable channel, and also online via official Twitch channels and YouTube channels in November 2021. G4’s revival brought back fans-favorite programs like Attack of the Show! X-PlayNew programming was introduced by, BoostedShow – a show that focuses on esports. Invitation to Party, a Dungeons & Dragons actual play series. G4 was originally created in 2002 and ran until 2014.