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G4, the Comcast Spectacor-owned cable channel dedicated to gaming, has shut down — again.

Dave Scott, the Comcast Spectacor chairman and CEO, broke the news to the G4 staff in a memo circulated on Sunday. (IndieWire obtained the note; it’s posted below.) Comcast Spectacor is the sports- and entertainment-focused subsidiary of Comcast that owns the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers and used to own the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers. Forty-five staffers at G4 lost their jobs immediately as a result of the decision.

The shutdown comes just under a year since the channel’s relaunch last November. The channel’s relaunch — first announced in July 2020 — followed seven dormant years for the gaming channel, which first began in 2002. The early version of the network was operated by G4 Media, a joint venture between Comcast and NBC Universal Cable.

The channel ceased original programming in 2012, when NBC Universal signed a deal with...

G4 is shutting down — again.

Comcast Spectacor, the cable and entertainment giant’s sports and esports division, told G4 TV employees Sunday that the gaming network was shutting down effective immediately. The decision has resulted in 45 staff members of G4 TV losing their jobs.

In a memo, obtained by Variety, Comcast Spectacor chairman and CEO Dave Scott cited low viewership and said the network had not achieved “sustainable financial results.”

“Over the past several months, we worked hard to generate that interest in G4, but viewership is low and the network has not achieved sustainable financial results,” Scott wrote. “This is certainly not what we hoped for, and, as a result, we have made the very difficult decision to discontinue G4’s operations, effective immediately.“

Comcast Spectacor in July 2020 said it would reboot G4 TV, which NBCUniversal shut down in 2013 (after the network first launched in 2002). Russell Arons, the former Warner Bros.,...

The zany misadventures of “Peacemaker,” the HBO Max original series starring John Cena, will get an official aftershow-style official video podcast launching alongside the DC show.

HBO Max and DC enlisted Rooster Teeth, which is also part of the WarnerMedia family, to produce “Podly,” a series recapping “Peacemaker” episodes. Audiences can watch “Podly” on HBO Max and on the official YouTube channels for DC and HBO Max beginning Jan. 13, when “Peacemaker” premieres. An audio-only version available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other major audio platforms.

“Peacemaker,” an eight-episode spinoff series from 2021 movie “The Suicide Squad,” was created and written by the film’s director, James Gunn. Both Gunn and Cena will be among the cast and creatives making an appearance on “Podly.” The companion podcast is hosted by Fiona Nova and Ify Nwadiwe, who will provide a recap reacting to the latest episode of “Peacemaker” each week.

“Podly” is a...

G4, the gaming TV network that NBCUniversal shut down in 2013, is coming back to cable.

The content studio and network, revived by Comcast Spectacor more than a year ago, will officially return to linear television on Nov. 16, 2021. At launch, G4 will debut linearly on the channel lineups of Comcast’s Xfinity TV, Verizon Fios, Cox Communications, and internet streaming service Philo.

G4 also said it will “collaborate” with Twitch on a multiyear promotional and commercial partnership through the network’s official channel. G4 also plans to continue to create platform-specific digital content for social media and YouTube, as it has been doing in the months since Comcast Spectacor teased its return.

The G4 programming slate at launch will include reboots editions of fan-favorite legacy G4 shows like “Attack of the Show!” and “Xplay.”

“We made a promise to fans that we would build this network with their input and are...

Rooster Teeth is uncoincidentally debuting its latest comedy competition series on 4/20. Titled Last Laugh, the venture -- part social experiment, part game show -- will see 12 contestants trapped in a room for six hours; whoever laughs, smiles, or smirks three times is eliminated until only one creator is left standing.

The unscripted series -- which will offer a $1,000 cash prize for one winner -- comes courtesy of Funhaus, a Rooster Teeth-owned gaming and comedy channel. The series was created by longtime Funhaus member and gaming personality Elyse Willems, with Rooster Teeth co-founder Geoff Ramsey serving as host, and Rooster Teeth’s Stephanie Ard directing.

The contestants are: James Willems, Adam Kovic, Willems, Jon Smith, Lindsay Jones, Michael Jones, Alfredo Diaz, Fiona Nova, Gus Sorola, Chris Demarais, Blaine Gibson, and Jessica Vasami. Each contestant has three lives, with one life lost for every smile, snicker, or full-on giggle.

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