TechTV

TechTV was an American cable television channel with a focus on technology. It was launched as ZDTV on May 11, 1998, by computer magazine publisher Ziff-Davis following two short-lived technology-based programs by the company. Initially targeting tech enthusiasts with programming including The Screen Savers, Call for Help and GameSpot TV (later named Extended Play and then X-Play), it aimed to report and inform on computers and the internet during the dot-com bubble. In 2000, ZDTV was sold to Vulcan Ventures, owned by Paul Allen, and rebranded as TechTV. As the dot-com bubble burst, the network shifted toward broader tech-related content such as gaming and pop culture. The anime programming block Anime Unleashed premiered during this time, as well as a late-night block on which the revamped X-Play debuted. Although the network had a reach of 43 million homes, its ratings remained scant. Facing ongoing operating losses and the growth of the internet, TechTV merged with Comcast's G4 network in 2004. The network briefly become G4techTV before the TechTV brand was phased out entirely by 2005, as G4 pivoted to a younger, gaming-centric audience. X-Play, Call for Help and the Anime Unleashed block outlived their original network, and a number of TechTV alumni went on to establish the multi-channel network Revision3.