G4TV, the United States based network and website that brings video game coverage to network television and had exclusive broadcasting rights to this past year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, has signed a deal that gives them those exclusive broadcast rights through the 2013 E3.
Adam Sessler, host of X-Play and Editor-in-Chief of games content for G4, wasted no time in crowing about the achievement:
“As we have demonstrated in the last five years, G4 is the only outlet that provides comprehensive coverage of an outstanding quality that both entertains and informs for the entire three-day show. With such reach, we can ensure that anyone who is unable to attend will feel like they are in the thick of the gaming madness from the comfort of their couch and with far less foot ache.”
Mr. Sessler is a good company man who knows who butters his bread, but this is terrible news for the average consumer who just wants news from E3. As Jim Sterling of Destructoid notes, G4/Comcast just essentially bought all of the seats at the table, which hurts bigger sites like Gamespot and IGN, and smaller sites like our own alike. Now, we all can only send our readers static, publisher-given assets and news releases, and consumers don’t have a choice of getting a large chunk of E3 coverage form their site of choice, be it ours or another site. Furthermore, if you’re a DirecTV customer, you’re doubly screwed, as G4 was dropped from the network on November 1st.1 It’s a hell of a cycle; DirecTV dropped G4 because of low viewership, yet now viewers *have* to view G4 to get video coverage from E3. There’s still the website, assuming the website holds up to the pressure, but again, we’ve got the same issue of a massive, heavy-handed corporation (Comcast, who own G4 Media) shutting out any and all competition to the detriment of their customers.
1 In the interests of full disclosure, I am a customer of both DirecTV for my satellite and Comcast for my internet.
The full press release is under the cut.
LOS ANGELES, November XX, 2010 – G4 and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) today announced a three-year deal naming the network the official broadcaster for the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3 Expo) through 2013. With this media partnership, G4’s team of gaming experts and popular on-air talent, including Adam Sessler, Morgan Webb, Kevin Pereira and Blair Herter, will bring viewers an unprecedented look inside the computer and video game industry’s biggest event with the high caliber coverage of the most important names in video games.
With over 24 total hours of LIVE broadcast coverage featuring exclusive news and original programming, as well as live-streaming events on g4tv.com, G4 will deliver the most extensive E3 Expo coverage and give gaming enthusiasts all the information and news they crave year after year.
“As the global epicenter of the gaming world, E3 Expo is one of the biggest and most important events of the year for G4’s audience,” said Neal Tiles, President, G4. “We are excited to have solidified G4 as the official broadcaster of E3 Expo for years to come and look forward to giving gamers a front row seat to all the big announcements, live news coverage and behind-the-scenes action.”Â
The multi-year broadcast partnership allows G4 to feature up-to-the-minute news and unparalleled on-air coverage to gaming enthusiasts LIVE from the Expo each year. Broadcast highlights will feature over 24 hours of LIVE coverage that includes a kick-off show, uninterrupted press conference coverage, developer interviews, hands-on walkthroughs and behind-closed-doors demos. With this unmatched level of E3 Expo news brought directly from the exposition floor, fans will never be left wanting.
“As we have demonstrated in the last five years, G4 is the only outlet that provides comprehensive coverage of an outstanding quality that both entertains and informs for the entire three-day show,” said Adam Sessler, host of X-Play and Editor-in-Chief of games content for G4. “With such reach, we can ensure that anyone who is unable to attend will feel like they are in the thick of the gaming madness from the comfort of their couch and with far less foot ache.”
Stay tuned to G4, g4tv.com, X-Play and Attack of the Show in the coming months to get the complete line-up of coverage for the annual expo.
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