CNET, one of my favourite ports of call for tech news, is going to be acquired by the US broadcasting network CBS.  I’m a little cautious about the deal, and from some of the comments posted on CNET’s site, I would appear not to be alone.

Leaving to one side the perceived outcomes of such a deal, its’ very existence is indicative of something that was inevitable: the merging of the traditional broadcast networks with the new Internet based media.  The resultant organisation can then leverage their resources to deliver fully integrated media solutions.  In the UK, we already have such an organisation in the BBC.  Although it is limited by its’ public service remit, the BBC is a model of what can be done when the capabilities of the Internet are coupled with the power of the broadcast industry.  You only have to look at the success of the BBC iPlayer and the BBC News website to see what is possible.

By acquiring CNET, CBS gains access to a whole new market along with a vastly expanded potential customer base.  CNET’s sites are not limited to purely tech matters, but encompasses a whole range of other services.  Whilst CNET is not the only one of its’ kind, but it is probably one of the best known.   Its’ acquisition will probably not the last as the market inevitably begins to consolidate.  Whether the resulting problem is better or worse, quite simply on the future will tell.