CBS Corporation Completes Acquisition of CNET Networks; Merges Operations Into New, Expanded CBS Interactive Business Unit
June 30 2008 - 1:27PM
PR Newswire (US)
New CBS Interactive Represents Premier Online Content Network for
Information and Entertainment NEW YORK and SAN FRANCISCO, June 30
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CBS Corporation
(NYSE:CBS.ANYSE:andNYSE:CBS) announced today that it has completed
its acquisition of CNET Networks, Inc. and merged its operations
into a newly expanded CBS Interactive division. The new division
incorporates all of the premium online brands of both CBS and CNET
Networks into one business unit. The announcement was made by
Leslie Moonves, President and Chief Executive Officer, CBS
Corporation, following the Company's acquisition of CNET Networks,
Inc. "This marks day one for the new CBS Interactive," said
Moonves. "From entertainment, news and sports to technology, games
and business, the combination of CBS and CNET Networks gives us the
content and scale to be leaders on a platform that is gaining
audience share faster than any other. Our unparalleled collection
of sites will be an extremely powerful vehicle for advertisers to
reach highly attractive demographics. At the same time, CBS
Interactive will extend and leverage the power of our traditional
businesses, as well as serve as a platform to launch the next
generation of leading interactive properties that will play a
central role in CBS's future. I couldn't be happier to welcome all
the people of CNET to the new CBS Interactive group. I know we'll
all do great things together." The combined assets of CBS
Interactive now make CBS the eighth largest web property worldwide
in terms of monthly unique users, according to comScore (May 2008).
In addition, CBS Interactive becomes a top five premium content
advertiser-supported online network, the number one online
technology network led by CNET.com and the number two entertainment
and sports online network among Men 18-34. The newly expanded
business unit will comprise five vertical categories designed to
appeal to like-minded audiences and offer advertisers scale across
targeted demographics: -- Technology: CNET.com is the number one
Web site in the computer and consumer electronics category,
reaching more than 18 million people every month with daily premium
content offerings. From the latest product reviews to breaking news
from the digital world, as well as video and program downloads,
CNET.com has become the leading destination for people looking to
navigate today's digital world. -- Entertainment: Representing the
third largest online entertainment group on the web, the collective
reach of CBS Interactive's entertainment portfolio will now exceed
24 million users each month, and include many of the leading brands
on the web today, including: TV.com, CBS.com, The CBS Audience
Network, theInsider.com, GameSpot.com, Last.fm, and CHOW.com, among
others. These are among the most visited entertainment destinations
on the web today, each with their own identity and audience
profile, and they continue to grow in users and time spent
visiting. This past year, for instance, CBS.com market share grew a
category-leading 41 percent. Combined with the power of America's
most watched network -- CBS Television -- CBS Interactive offers
unparalleled consumer reach online and offline. -- Sports: CBS
Interactive is a leader in athletic coverage, from sites devoted to
professional sports to the largest collection of collegiate brands.
Among its top destinations are CBSSports.com, CBSCollegeSports.com,
NCAA.com, and MaxPreps.com, representing one of the digital world's
largest sports footprints. Working with its leading broadcast and
radio properties, CBS offers the unique opportunity to reach a wide
group of people who are passionate about sports across the
internet, television and radio. -- News: Two of the strongest news
sites in their own right, CBSNews.com, a leader in world news, and
CNET News.com, the leader in technology news, combine to create the
sixth largest property in the Current Events/Global News category.
From breaking news and international reports to coverage of
business, politics and technology, the combination of these two
destinations gives users a global perspective they cannot find
anywhere else. -- Business: Eighteen million users each month have
come to rely on CBS Interactive's business properties, which
include BNET.com, the cornerstone of the business category, and
leading sites like ZDNet and TechRepublic. Collectively, these
assets are among the fastest growing destinations in the expanding
business category and offer users the latest and most insightful
business coverage, with unique perspectives on management and
technology. Moonves also announced today that Quincy Smith is named
Chief Executive Officer and Neil Ashe is President of CBS
Interactive. Smith has been at the helm of CBS Interactive since
joining the Company in November 2006, and Ashe has led CNET
Networks since October 2006. "Quincy's unique understanding of the
interactive space has pushed CBS to the forefront of new media,"
said Moonves. "There are so many more promising market
opportunities before us and I greatly look forward to his continued
leadership as we evolve our company at this exciting time." "Neil
brings a broad range of experience to this important new role,"
said Moonves. "His strong background as both a strategic executive
and a results-oriented operator will add significant energy to this
increasingly vital part of the CBS Corporation." "Today CBS
Interactive becomes a world-class player in online content with
leading brands across information and entertainment," said Smith.
"We now have the new media reach that clients want, and the content
that audiences expect from CBS. Simultaneously, CBS Interactive
also gets even more complementary and additive to the Company's
core established businesses. I couldn't be happier to work with my
friend Neil who will be instrumental in driving this business with
me." "We now have an amazing opportunity to realize the full
potential of CNET Networks' premium brands by gaining access to the
kind of mass market reach that only CBS can provide," said Ashe.
"Our expertise and our market-leading brands will propel CBS into
leadership positions on the internet. I'm very excited about being
a part of this fantastic leadership team, which is one of the most
talented and experienced in the interactive business. I look
forward to working closely with Leslie and Quincy and the whole
team to drive more audience to our industry-leading businesses and
creating new revenue opportunities for CBS." Smith has been
President of CBS Interactive for CBS Corporation since November,
2006. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing the Company's
entire interactive strategy and helping to guide its implementation
across CBS Corporation's varied divisions and online businesses.
Smith works in tandem with each CBS division to formulate new media
strategies and partnerships involving all interactive platforms,
including internet, mobile and video gaming. Reporting to Smith is
the wide variety of interactive media company-wide, including its
wholly-owned Websites. In addition, Smith works closely with CBS's
corporate team to identify new businesses that could complement
CBS's core assets and build its presence in the fast-growing
digital counterpart to its existing programming platforms. Ashe
joined CNET Networks in 2002 as Senior Vice-President, Corporate
Strategy and Development. In 2005, Ashe assumed the role of
Executive Vice-President and his responsibilities expanded to
include day-to-day management of the Community and Lifestyle,
Business, Channel and International divisions. Ashe has led the
company's content expansion strategy, including numerous
acquisitions to develop its existing products and expand into new
categories both domestically and internationally, which helped
attract new audience and customer segments. During his tenure, the
company acquired or launched MP3.com, Chow, BNET, UrbanBaby and
China-based ZOL, PC Home and X-Car. This strategy has resulted in
new product development, audience growth and revenue streams for
the company. In addition, Ashe is a key spokesperson to both the
investment and advertising communities and has been instrumental in
CNET Networks' growth and success. CBS Corporation
(NYSE:CBS.ANYSE:andNYSE:CBS) is a mass media company with
constituent parts that reach back to the beginnings of the
broadcast industry, as well as newer businesses that operate on the
leading edge of the media industry. The Company, through its many
and varied operations, combines broad reach with well-positioned
local businesses, all of which provide it with an extensive
distribution network by which it serves audiences and advertisers
in all 50 states and key international markets. It has operations
in virtually every field of media and entertainment, including
broadcast television (CBS and The CW - a joint venture between CBS
Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment), cable television
(Showtime and CBS College Sports Network), local television (CBS
Television Stations), television production and syndication (CBS
Paramount Network Television and CBS Television Distribution),
radio (CBS Radio), advertising on out-of-home media (CBS Outdoor),
publishing (Simon & Schuster), interactive media (CBS
Interactive), music (CBS Records), licensing and merchandising (CBS
Consumer Products), video/DVD (CBS Home Entertainment), in-store
media (CBS Outernet) and motion pictures (CBS Films). For more
information, log on to http://www.cbscorporation.com/. Cautionary
Statement Concerning Forward-looking Statements This release
contains forward-looking information. All statements in this
release, other than statements of historical fact are, or may be
deemed to be, forward-looking statements within the meaning of
section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements
involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors
that are difficult to predict which could cause actual outcomes and
results to differ materially from these statements, including those
factors described in the news releases and filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission including but not limited to the
most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other period reports on
Forms 10-Q and 8-K filed by CBS Corporation. The forward-looking
statements included in this release are made only as of the date of
this release, and under section 27A of the Securities Act and
section 21E of the Exchange Act, CBS Corporation does not have any
obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements to
reflect subsequent events or circumstances. DATASOURCE: CBS
Corporation CONTACT: Gil Schwartz, NY, +1-212-975-2121, Dana
McClintock, NY, +1-212-975-1077, Sarah Cain, SF, +1-415-344-2218
Web site: http://www.cbscorporation.com/ Company News On-Call:
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