| GIGA | |
|---|---|
| Launched | show: 1998 channel: 2005 |
| Closed | March 31, 2009[1] |
| Owned by | Deutsche Fernsehnachrichten Agentur (DFA) (1998-2004) GIGA Television GmbH (2005 - 2007) Premiere (2008 - March 2009) Fox Interactive Media (online only, 2009 - March 2011) ECONA Internet AG (March 2011 - today) |
| Headquarters | 1998-2005 Düsseldorf, Germany 2006-2011 Cologne, Germany 2011-today Berlin, Germany |
| Formerly called | NBC GIGA (1998 - 2004); GIGA Green (2005) |
| Website | http://www.giga.de |
GIGA was the brand name of a digital TV channel (also known as GIGA Digital or GIGA TV) and several German television shows. The channel ceased operations in 2009.
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The first GIGA show was broadcast on November 30, 1998. The show NBC GIGA was shown first time on the television channel NBC Europe. The show lasted five hours, from 3 pm until 8 pm.
In March 2005 the show was renamed from NBC GIGA to GIGA Green, airing on its own digital channel starting in September. Also in September 2005 the original show was renamed a second time, now to the simple name GIGA, which caused some confusion because the television channel on which it was broadcast was also named GIGA. The show had been shortened from five hours to three hours, Monday through Friday, and was now being broadcast on the television channel GIGA as well as on the television channel Das Vierte (English: The Fourth).
Then in March 2006, the show GIGA - the original NBC GIGA - was cancelled. The most popular shows still running at this point were GIGA\\Games, GIGA eSports and PLAY.
Beginning January 1, 2008 GIGA Digital Television GmbH in Cologne was operated by Premiere (now Sky Deutschland).
On February 13, 2009, the managing director of GIGA, Stephan Borg, announced that Premiere decided to shut down the channel and release all staff. Reasons mentioned included the lack of financial success and bad outlook on the advertising market; in general, Premiere wanted to concentrate on its core channels.[2]
The American gaming and entertainment network IGN Entertainment, which is owned by Fox Interactive Media, announced on April 20, 2009 the acquisition of the gaming community site GIGA.DE - the online arm of the GIGA television channel. The two companies have shared content since August 2008, and IGN took the opportunity to penetrate the German market. Current plans are to maintain the GIGA.DE trademark and structure.
In September 2011 the ECONA Internet AG, the new owner of GIGA, announced that they want to revive GIGA as a TV-Show. GIGA will first be available only as Web-TV including the Entertainment and Digital Lifestyle Site GIGA.DE. GIGA will begin broadcasting in October 2011.