G4 Media, Inc. is the parent company of G4, a 24-hour cable and satellite channel originally dedicated to video games. Comcast holds a controlling interest in G4 Media, with EchoStar holding a minority interest of approximately 12%.
In early 2004, G4 Media (at the time owned entirely by Comcast) announced the purchase of a controlling interest in TechTV. On May 28, 2004, G4 and TechTV merged into a hybrid network called G4techTV. EchoStar (which held a minority interest in TechTV) retained partial ownership of the combined entity.
The new network leaned more toward the gaming programming that was featured on G4 than the technology side that was featured on TechTV, prompting petitions and complaints from disaffected TechTV fans. On February 15, 2005, TechTV was officially dropped from the network name in the United States, leaving only three TechTV shows, X-Play, Anime Unleashed (removed indefinitely as of March 2006) and The Screen Savers (later rebranded as Attack of the Show!). The network is currently called G4, and now focuses on general male interest programming.
G4 Media holds a 33.3% minority interest in G4techTV Canada, G4's Canadian counterpart. G4techTV Canada has retained the TechTV brand as a result of restrictions by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.
On October 13, 2006, Comcast announced that it will consolidate G4, bringing it under E! Networks. G4's executive staff will move into E!'s Los Angeles offices and layoffs may occur.