Tech Tv

Cable television giant Comcast Corp. announced Thursday it will buy cable network TechTV from Vulcan Programming Inc. Terms were not announced.

Comcast will merge TechTV with G4, Comcast's network geared for the gaming community. The move will nearly triple the size of G4's network.

"We're expanding from 15 million cable subscribers to 44 million cable and satellite subscribers," said Deb Green, G4's chief operating officer. Comcast has been working on the deal for over a year now, she said.

Green said TechTV was targeted because it focuses on the same audience as G4: young males, ages 12 to 34.

As to whether G4 will maintain its focus on gaming, Green said, "Absolutely. The merger will combine the best from both networks on gaming, gadgets, everything for gaming and the gaming lifestyle."

G4 Founder and CEO Charles Hirschhorn will run the combined channel, which will be based in Los Angeles, said Green. She declined to comment on whether or not employees of TechTV, based in San Francisco, will be relocated or laid off, saying terms of the deal will be worked out in coming months.

TechTV was launched by Ziff Davis Media in 1998 under the name ZDTV. Vulcan Programming purchased it in 2000.

Copyright © 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in PC Magazine.

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