 | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Affiliates | KTQW |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
| Launched | May 11, 1998; 27 years ago (1998-05-11), as ZDTV |
| Closed | May 28, 2004; 21 years ago (2004-05-28) |
| Replaced by | |
| Former names | ZDTV (1998–2000) |
TechTV was an Americancable television channel with a focus on technology. It was launched asZDTV on May 11, 1998, by computer magazine publisherZiff-Davis following two short-lived technology-based programs by the company. Initially targeting tech enthusiasts with programming includingThe Screen Savers,Call for Help andGameSpot TV (later namedExtended Play and thenX-Play), it aimed to report and inform on computers and the internet during thedot-com bubble.
In 2000, ZDTV was sold toVulcan Ventures, owned byPaul Allen, and rebranded as TechTV. As the dot-com bubble burst, the network shifted toward broader tech-related content such as gaming and pop culture. Theanime programming block Anime Unleashed premiered during this time, as well as a late-night block on which the revampedX-Play debuted. Although the network had a reach of 43 million homes, its ratings remained scant.
Facing ongoing operating losses and the growth of the internet, TechTV merged withComcast'sG4 network in 2004, briefly becomingG4techTV before the TechTV brand was phased out entirely by 2005, as G4 pivoted to a younger, gaming-centric audience.X-Play,Call for Help and the Anime Unleashed block outlived their original network, and a number of TechTV alumni went on to establish themulti-channel networkRevision3.
On August 20, 1994, computer magazine publisherZiff-Davis entered the television industry with the premiere ofThe Personal Computing Show, a program that aired on Saturday mornings onCNBC,America's Talking and the Jones Computing Network.The Personal Computing Show, co-hosted byJim Louderback andGina Smith, targeted a growing demographic of personal computer owners and demonstrated how to purchase, install, maintain and repair personal computers and peripheral devices such asprinters. Shortly afterThe Personal Computing Show's premiere, Ziff-Davis revealed plans to produce a second show in October 1994 namedPC Update, a half-hour Sunday morning news program hosted byLeo Laporte and focusing on the computer industry.[1] According to Ziff-Davis spokesman Gregory Jarboe,The Personal Computing Show was unsuccessful due to its relegation to odd channels and timeslots.[2] When Ziff-Davis's sale to investment firmForstmann Little & Company was announced in October 1994, a smallFoster City-based television operation named "ZD-TV" was listed as a company asset.[3]
In April 1996, Ziff-Davis announced the establishment of ZDTV as aSan Francisco-based unit specializing in the production of television and internet broadcasts, which would allow the publisher to showcase its products. Its first project was to developThe Site, a daily hour-longprime time news show co-hosted bySoledad O'Brien about the increasing social and economic effects of technology. The program aired on the cable news networkMSNBC, which launched on July 15, 1996.[4][5] It was the third San Francisco-based television program specializing in technology afterCNET Central andCyberlife.[6] According to Ziff-Davis chief executive Larry Wangberg,[2] San Francisco was chosen as ZDTV's headquarters for its proximity toSilicon Valley and easy access toMultimedia Gulch-based talent.[7]
On May 6, 1997, Ziff-Davis announced its plan to launch ZDTV as a 24-hour interactive cable network specializing in computers and the internet. The publisher put $100 million (equivalent to $195.87 million in 2024) behind the project and planned to debut the ZDTV channel in early 1998. Projected programming for the channel included talk shows on the impact of technology, business-oriented shows evaluating investments in high-tech stocks, and reviews of software and hardware.[8] Children's programming was also planned for the weekends.[9] The channel had 11 initial charter advertisers, includingIBM,Gateway 2000,Microsoft, andCharles Schwab.[8] Ziff-Davis chairman and CEO Eric Hippeau cited the increasing presence of computers in cable television homes and workspaces as motivation for filling the niche of programming about computers, saying "This is a huge audience and it will only get bigger".[9] Wangberg, who would be made the network's CEO, proclaimed Ziff-Davis's ambition of ZDTV becoming "to computing whatCNN is to news, whatESPN is to sports".[7] Although Ziff-Davis intended to continue producingThe Site for MSNBC following ZDTV's launch,[10] the show was canceled in September 1997 as a result of the network's shift toward an all-news format.[2][11] In December 1997, Ziff-Davis revealed at the Western Cable Trade Show inAnaheim that it had secured agreements with four cable operators to carry the network: Prime Cable in Las Vegas, Harron Communications in Detroit, Televue in Georgia, and Prestige Cable in Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland.[2]
ZDTV was initially set to launch at the end of 1998's first quarter but was delayed by Ziff-Davis'sinitial public offering, which was announced on February 18.[7] ZDTV was separated from Ziff-Davis's publishing operations so as to prevent the former's start-up losses from impacting the latter's balance sheet.[12] The network launched on May 11, 1998, on cable systems in Las Vegas, Detroit, parts of Georgia near Atlanta, and parts ofMaine. Inaugural programs included the computer help showCall for Help, theround tablepublic affairs talk showSilicon Spin, the financial advisory showThe Money Machine, the website review showInternet Tonight and the technological product review showFresh Gear.[13][14] The channel had six hours of original programming a day, which at the outset were looped to provide a 24-hour schedule.[15] A program by video gaming websiteGameSpot was projected for a mid-summer release[13] and premiered asGameSpot TV on July 4.[16] On August 1, ZDTV became available nationally onDirecTV as channel 273.[17] In November, Microsoft co-founderPaul Allen's holding companyVulcan Ventures invested $54 million (equivalent to $104.17 million in 2024) in ZDTV, granting it a 33-percent stake in the network.[18]
Although ZDTV was critically acclaimed, it struggled to gain a foothold on certain cable lineups, in part because Ziff-Davis eschewed the types of launch fees to cable operators—ranging from $100 to $150 million—that other new channels were providing.[12][19] It strained to achieve carriage fromAT&T/TCI cable lineups and was deemed unprofitable.[19][20] In an effort to sell company assets to reduce debt and boost its share price, Ziff-Davis put ZDTV up for sale on July 16, 1999.[19][20] In November 1999, Vulcan purchased the remaining two-thirds in a transaction that was completed on January 21, 2000. The deal (which permitted the network to retain its name) was worth $204.8 million (equivalent to $386.57 million in 2024).[19]
On August 21, 2000, ZDTV's name was changed to TechTV, and Wangberg announced that the network would be added to AT&T andTime Warner Cable's digital cable lineups the following month.[21] In November, TechTV announced the live programming blockTechLive, which would premiere on April 2, 2001. Originally scheduled at six hours (five of which would be live), the block's length was finalized at 9.5 hours, and the network described the block as the "nucleus of TechTV's daytime programming". For this venture, the network established a fully digital broadcast center in San Francisco as well as bureaus inNew York City,Washington, D.C.,Silicon Valley, andSeattle. The block also included aticker which listed the status of leading tech stocks.[22][23]
On February 17, 2001,GameSpot TV was retitledExtended Play and became part of TechTV's live broadcasting endeavor, which resulted in a high employee turnover rate.[16][24][25] On March 15, TechTV announced that it had laid off approximately a dozen employees as part of a reorganization effort in the face of the waningdot-com bubble.[26] On November 16, TechTV announced another layoff of 130 employees. This, combined with the reduction ofTechLive and indifferent online reactions to TechTV's struggles, were interpreted by Farhad Manjoo ofWired as a sign of declining cultural interest in technology. Anonymous TechTV employees remarked that the increasingly ubiquitous nature of the Internet had rendered the network's mission statement "a bit fantastical" and suggested that the only reason the network was still in business was because "Allen doesn't know what to do with his billions".[27]
During this time, TechTV expanded internationally. On September 7, 2001,TechTV Canada began broadcasting as one of 16 new English-language digital cable channels approved by theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC); it was owned by TechTV as well as Canadian companiesRogers Broadcasting andShaw Communications.[28] By 2002, it had 467,000 subscribers.[29]
Wangberg announced on January 24, 2002, that he would spend the following months searching for a successor in his chairman and CEO position, though at Allen's request he planned to remain on the network's board of directors as well as take a position onCharter Communications's board.[30] On March 19, TechTV announced its intent to shift focus from tech news and information to consumer-oriented fare. In pursuit of this, the network cancelledSilicon Spin as well as the digital music programAudioFile; according to senior vice president Greg Drebin, the former series in particular "was targeted a little more to the industry than our viewers accepted".[31] On April 24,TechLive was cut further to a thirty-minute daily news magazine show with a stronger focus on technology's cultural aspect, resulting in 50 more employees being dismissed. The airtime previously occupied by the now-diminishedTechLive was filled by acquired programs that reflected the network's new focus, includingMax Headroom,Techno Games,Future Fighting Machines, andThunderbirds. The network also acquired the rights for the filmsComa (1978),Demon Seed (1977), andForbidden Planet (1956).[32] By October, the network was affiliated withWichita-basedlow-power television stationKTQW, its content occupying theprime time,late-night, andgraveyard slots.[33] Theanime programming block Anime Unleashed premiered on December 30 with the debut ofCrest of the Stars.[34]
The network continued expanding into lifestyle programming through 2003.[35] On January 6, senior vice president of programming Greg Brannan announced the upcoming seriesWired for Sex as well as the acquisition of theBravo seriesSpy School.[36][37] Both series would premiere in primetime on the week of April 28.[38] Allison Romano ofBroadcasting & Cable reported in February that the network's ratings had hovered at 0.1 despite a reach of 40 million homes; TechTV head of marketing Gaynor Strachan Chun added that the network's independent status impeded its ability to cross-promote across anysister or cousin network.[35]
On March 3, Brannan announced the upcoming launch of a late-night programming block on April 28. The block would air Monday through Thursday and lead off with the acquired British seriesRobot Wars.[38] The revampedExtended Play, now namedX-Play, was moved to this block and became a ratings success.[16][38] Anime Unleashed, already a late-night fixture, aired on the block's tail end.[38] On May 26, thelate-night talk showUnscrewed with Martin Sargent premiered on the block.[38][39] Similar changes were blocked in Canada by the CRTC, which denied approval to let TechTV Canada show dramas or comedies.[29]
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 million (equivalent to $205.12 million in 2024) in operating losses for owner Paul Allen since its 2000 acquisition.[40] In December, rumors circulated of an impending purchase of TechTV byComcast, 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 channelG4.[41] On March 25, 2004, Comcast announced its purchase of TechTV, estimated by close sources to be under $300 million (equivalent to $499.42 million in 2024), as well as its upcoming merger of the network with G4.[42] 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.[43]
John Higgins ofBroadcasting & 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 theSan 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.[42] TechTVchief 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.[44]
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 inLos Angeles if they agreed to relocate there.[45] On May 10, Comcast completed its acquisition of TechTV from Vulcan, and merged it with G4 to formG4techTV on May 28.[46] TechTV Canada underwent a similar name change on the same day.[47]
On January 11, 2005, G4 founder and CEOCharles 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.[48] 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 ofTelevisionWeek, in hindsight, equated the merger to a real estate transaction to increase G4's circulation.[49] G4techTV Canada's branding would remain until 2009, when it became aCanadian version of G4.[50]
The following is a partial list of programs aired by TechTV.
ZDTV's original executive lineup consisted primarily of television veterans; chairman and CEO Larry Wangberg was previously CEO ofTimes Mirror Cable Television, senior vice president of programming Greg Drebin previously served the same position atMTV, and news director Harry Fuller previously worked forKPIX-TV andKGO-TV.[7] TechTV's executive vice president, COO and acting CEO Joseph Gillespie previously managed sales and marketing for Ziff-Davis.[44][75][76]Jim Louderback, apart from hostingFresh Gear,[52] also served as the network's vice president and editorial director.[77] By 2003, the senior vice president of programming position was inherited by Greg Brannan, formerly ofE!.[35][36]
Morgan Webb co-hostedX-Play withAdam Sessler beginning in 2003 after previously serving as associate producer ofThe Screen Savers.[78] Sessler hostedX-Play from the show's debut asGameSpot TV; he was previously a banker and actor on apublic-access San Francisco program that ZDTV's casting director happened to be a fan of.[16]Erica Hill was an anchor ofTechTV News/TechLive, having previously served as a production assistant onPC Week's online news radio programPC Week Radio. She anchored live coverage of theSeptember 11 attacks during her time on the network.[79][80]Leo Laporte was the host ofThe Screen Savers andCall for Help.[81]
Other TechTV personalities includeJohn C. Dvorak ofSilicon Spin,[82]Michaela Pereira ofInternet Tonight andTechLive,[83]Chris Pirillo ofCall for Help,[84]Kate Botello ofThe Screen Savers andGameSpot TV/Extended Play,[85]Becky Worley ofTechLive,[86]Martin Sargent ofThe Screen Savers andUnscrewed with Martin Sargent,[87]Carmine Gallo andPam Krueger ofThe Money Machine,[88][89]Victoria Recaño ofTechTV News,[90]Laura Swisher ofUnscrewed with Martin Sargent,[91] andKris Kosach ofAudioFile.[92] Botello also provided themotion capture performance and voice of the animated character Tilde, the network's mascot and host ofZip File.[93][94]
X-Play continued airing on G4 until its cancellation in 2012.[95] Following the 2004 cancellation ofCall for Help in the United States, aToronto-produced revival began airing onG4techTV Canada in August 2004.[96][97] In 2007, the program was retitledThe Lab with Leo Laporte, and production was moved to Greedy Productions inVancouver.[98] The Anime Unleashed block continued airing on G4 until its discontinuation in March 2006.[99][100] Arthell Isom, co-founder of the Japanese animation studioD'Art Shtajio, cited Anime Unleashed as his inspiration to pursue his animation career.[101]
Bob Taylor ofThe Herald inRock Hill, South Carolina, in a 2007 review of G4, proclaimed TechTV to have been "far superior" and condemned Comcast for its purchase of the network and cancellation of the bulk of its programming, describing the merger as an "execution".[102]Multi-channel networkRevision3, the roster of which included a number of TechTV alumni, was regarded by David Sarno of theLos Angeles Times as a "genetic descendant" of the network.[103]
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