TechTV

TechTV was an American <a href="/facts/Cable_television/GzXa4pbW">cable television</a> channel with a focus on technology. It was launched as ZDTV on May 11, 1998, by computer magazine publisher <a href="/facts/Ziff_Davis/QLs2JQEB">Ziff-Davis</a> following two short-lived technology-based programs by the company. Initially targeting tech enthusiasts with programming including <a href="/facts/The_Screen_Savers/ISmAeTHN">The Screen Savers</a>, Call for Help and GameSpot TV (later named Extended Play and then <a href="/facts/Xplay/n0U4a6PV">X-Play</a>), it aimed to report and inform on computers and the internet during the <a href="/facts/Dot-com_bubble/dCFWQt0s">dot-com bubble</a>.
In 2000, TechTV was sold to <a href="/facts/Vulcan_Ventures/mS1CHDec">Vulcan Ventures</a>, owned by <a href="/facts/Paul_Allen/S0euHIKT">Paul Allen</a>, and rebranded as TechTV. As the dot-com bubble burst, the network shifted toward broader tech-related content such as gaming and pop culture. The <a href="/facts/Anime/d5j1by0m">anime</a> programming block Anime Unleashed premiered during this time, as well as a late-night block on which the revamped X-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 with <a href="/facts/Comcast/5osy4Q0h">Comcast</a>'s <a href="/facts/G4_(American_TV_network)/RPuLvEz3">G4</a> network in 2004, briefly becoming <a href="/facts/G4techTV/vtpDUeLb">G4techTV</a> 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 the <a href="/facts/Multi-channel_network/zRElGBM3">multi-channel network</a> <a href="/facts/Revision3/gznSgcUY">Revision3</a>.

TechTV open-in-new

TechTV