Cnet Networks Inc - Founded In 1992 By Halsey Minor, Developed New Online Properties, 1996-1999, Acquisitions And Mergers, 2000

CNET Networks Inc. is a leading provider of technology and e-commerce news and information across several media, including the Internet, television, radio, and print. Its target audiences include both consumers and businesses, and the company has created online marketplaces for technology and consumer products. Its subsidiary, CNET Data Services (CDS), plays a central role in providing information that drives computer and electronics sales and distribution channels. CDS licenses access to its multilingual product database to online computer retailers, resellers, and e-commerce companies. At the end of 2000 CDS had some 135 licensing agreements in place with companies that included Dell Computers, Hewlett-Packard, Ingram Micro, and Yahoo!. The CDS database included information on more than 600,000 different products.

CNET Networks has an Internet presence in more than 25 countries. Its Internet operations include flagship Web site CNET.com, which provides technology news and product reviews. According to B to B, CNET.com had 20 million unique monthly visitors during the first quarter of 2001, nearly 80 percent of whom were influential at all stages of their company's buying process. More than 95 percent of CNET.com visitors planned to purchase hardware or software during the next 12 months.

Following the acquisition of Ziff-Davis Inc. and ZDNet in October 2000, CNET Networks gained control of ZDNet.com, another flagship Web site that provides information on technology products and services. In January 2000 CNET Networks acquired the comparative shopper mySimon (www.mysimon.com). The company also operates dozens of other Web sites under a range of sub-brands and has two news sites, news.com and zdnn.com, that focus on breaking news in the technology industry.

CNET Networks also is active in television, radio, and print. Its television programming, News.com, can be seen on CNBC on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. CNET Radio, which can be heard in San Francisco, was formed in January 2000 through a partnership with radio station owner AMFM Inc. and was the first all-tech radio format in the United States. A live audio feed of CNET Radio can be heard on the Internet at www.cnetradio.com. The company's magazine, Computer Shopper, has a circulation exceeding 500,000.

CNET Networks also disseminates technology news and information through electronic newsletters. It gained some newsletters through the acquisition of Ziff-Davis, which helped to increase its number of newsletters from 61 in the first quarter of 2000 to 150 in the first quarter of 2001. The company boasted some 10 million opt-in subscribers to its newsletters.

According to an interview with CNET Networks' chairman and CEO Shelby Bonnie in B to B, about 66 percent of CNET Networks' revenue comes from advertising (online, print, and broadcast). Other revenue streams include lead generation (21 percent); channel services, including license and subscription fees (5 percent); and international revenue (8 percent).