Dear NBCUniversal/Comcast (Re: G4’s Rebranding)
You’re getting rid of G4. some time in 2013 and replacing it with something more GQ and less Geek.
That’s good and all, and as Discovery Velocity has yet to prove, there is a market for attracting that audience.
That said, you’re going to purge a lot of pretty decent shows and elements from the network. Here’s a suggestion, and hear me out though:
Bring those elements to Syfy.
Syfy as it is right now is a mess. A confused, almost unwatchable mess with no real direction and mission. They got rid of their sci-fi street cred and embraced more geeky non-scripted programming (the mainstream calls these shows “reality”) and Smackdown every Friday. Ratings have been anemic to say the least, and a lot of their audience have gone on to other things. As strange as it sounds, I think some G4 elements would have a greater life (not to mention a wider audience) over on Syfy.
For starters, I’d bring the show currently known as Attack of the Show on Syfy every weeknight at 7 PM. Syfy needs a show that has that kind of draw as well as a showcase for the latest in genre news and technology. Funny thing is Syfy already owns a brand that could be the new name for AotS that could remain an online destination. And that name is BLASTR. BLASTR could be the keystone of the Syfy lineup, and something to bring in audiences on a nightly basis.
X-Play is the other show that needs to move to Syfy when G4 goes away. Instead of being a daily series, it could be a weekly series with reviews of the latest games as well as interviews with gaming professionals and talent. Nothing changes from G4’s version at all.
I’d also bring in G4’s coverage of E3 and Comic Con to Syfy because this is where the channel really shines.
This way, you guys and gals over at NBC Universal/Comcast get to create a guy’s network from scratch in G4’s old space and move the three most successful elements of G4 over to Syfy, which really needs a creative boost.
Everybody’s happy!
