A month after struggling numerous key layoffs and departures, the ill-fated try and reboot the 2000s gaming channel G4 TV is over, with its house owners asserting that they’ll be shutting the community down.
As Deadline experiences, an e-mail was despatched to remaining employees at this time by David Scott, the CEO of mum or dad firm Spectator, a division of Comcast. On this memo Scott “defined that the corporate’s funding and efforts to revive the community simply didn’t acquire traction.”
Deadline additionally says “just a few dozen staff and contract staff are affected by the shutdown”. That was all that left on the community after a spherical of “main layoffs” passed off final month:
The timing and severity of the cuts took employees without warning, with expertise displaying up on set at this time able to movie solely to have programming cancelled as HR reps met individually with staff. Whereas it’s not clear what the extent of the layoffs can be, one supply stated these affected had been instructed they’d obtain anyplace between 16 weeks and 6 months of severance primarily based on their tenure with Comcast, G4’s mum or dad firm.
Regardless of assurances in a subsequent broadcast that “there have been no plans to reduce the channel’s programming”, Xplay host Indiana “Froskurinn” Black and Assault of the Present! co-host Kevin Pereira additionally left shortly afterwards.
“This has been in movement for an extended whereas,” Pereira stated of his departure. “I do know there’s been some whacky occasions within the ether as of late however months and months and months again this time was type of determined. The present’s going darkish for 2 weeks and coming again. I gained’t be right here. Sorry.”
Scott’s full e-mail, obtained by Deadline, reads:
Crew:
As , G4 was re-introduced final 12 months to faucet into the recognition of gaming. We invested to create the brand new G4 as a web-based and TV vacation spot for followers to be entertained, be impressed, and join with gaming content material.
Over the previous a number of months, we labored arduous to generate that curiosity in G4, however viewership is low and the community has not achieved sustainable monetary outcomes. That is definitely not what we hoped for, and, in consequence, we’ve made the very troublesome choice to discontinue G4’s operations, efficient instantly.
I do know that is disappointing information, and I’m upset, too. I need to thanks and everybody on the G4 staff for the arduous work and dedication to the community. Our human assets staff is reaching out to you to offer you assist, focus on different alternatives that could be accessible, and reply any questions you will have.
Thanks once more for your whole arduous work for G4.
Sincerely,
Dave Scott
Chairman and CEO
Comcast Spectacor
The memo, unsurprisingly given its timing (despatched on a Sunday night), might have been dealt with higher:
