Washington, D.C. (October 13, 2008) -- G4, the video game channel, will launch a High-Definition channel on December 8.
That's according to an article in TV Week Magazine and the web site, ComcastNetworks.com.
G4 is owned by Comcast, the nation's largest cable operator, which also owns E! Entertainment, Versus, Golf Channel and the Style channel. The Comcast web site says all four networks will switch to high-def on December 8.
The cable operator announced last June that the E! Entertainment Television network would switch to HD this December. Comcast also said Versus and The Golf Channel would get their own high-def channels in December. (The two networks now share one HD channel with golf programming available during the day and Versus' lineup of hockey and other sports on at night.)
However, until now, an exact launch date had not been announced for the high-def channels. Additionally, Comcast had not said G4 would switch to HD until now.
X-Play's Morgan Webb will get an expanded time slot.
But G4 President Neil Tiles said company research indicates that more young males are watching high-def; G4's primary audience is young males. And with the network's viewership dropping 36 percent in the third quarter, Tiles said G4 can read the handwriting on the wall.
“As of December we’ll be moving towards an HD offering that will allow us to bridge that gap,” he told TV Week.
Tiles said the channel has acquired the rights to movies such as Fight Club and Road Warrior to enhance its lineup of video game-themed shows. G4 will also expand its X-Play program, hosted by Morgan Webb, to an hour.
Of course, finding a place in a cable or satellite lineup could be difficult for the new high-def channels. Most cable operators are lacking space for new HD channels and even satcasters DIRECTV and Dish Network have been slow to add new high-def offerings in the last few months.
Comcast did announce last June that it would carry the E! high-def simulcast and thus would be a strong candidate to offer all five new HD channels.
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That's according to an article in TV Week Magazine and the web site, ComcastNetworks.com.
G4 is owned by Comcast, the nation's largest cable operator, which also owns E! Entertainment, Versus, Golf Channel and the Style channel. The Comcast web site says all four networks will switch to high-def on December 8.
The cable operator announced last June that the E! Entertainment Television network would switch to HD this December. Comcast also said Versus and The Golf Channel would get their own high-def channels in December. (The two networks now share one HD channel with golf programming available during the day and Versus' lineup of hockey and other sports on at night.)
However, until now, an exact launch date had not been announced for the high-def channels. Additionally, Comcast had not said G4 would switch to HD until now.
X-Play's Morgan Webb will get an expanded time slot.
But G4 President Neil Tiles said company research indicates that more young males are watching high-def; G4's primary audience is young males. And with the network's viewership dropping 36 percent in the third quarter, Tiles said G4 can read the handwriting on the wall.
“As of December we’ll be moving towards an HD offering that will allow us to bridge that gap,” he told TV Week.
Tiles said the channel has acquired the rights to movies such as Fight Club and Road Warrior to enhance its lineup of video game-themed shows. G4 will also expand its X-Play program, hosted by Morgan Webb, to an hour.
Of course, finding a place in a cable or satellite lineup could be difficult for the new high-def channels. Most cable operators are lacking space for new HD channels and even satcasters DIRECTV and Dish Network have been slow to add new high-def offerings in the last few months.
Comcast did announce last June that it would carry the E! high-def simulcast and thus would be a strong candidate to offer all five new HD channels.
Comment on this article!
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