About CNET
CNET is a Media & Entertainment company based in San Francisco (United States) founded in 1994 by Halsey Minor, and was acquired by Red Ventures in September 2020. Tech product reviews, news, and software downloads are provided. CNET has completed 9 acquisitions, including 55 Mobile Games Network, FindArticles and GameFAQs. Its website cnet.com draws about 21.9 million monthly visits. Its focus areas include Internet First Media, Science and Technology and Diversified. Its competitors include Gigaom, RainStor and Freethink; 3 of its 3 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
CNET was founded in 1994 in San Francisco, United States, focusing on the technology media sector. Product reviews, price comparisons, software downloads, and tech news are delivered through its website, with content organized into sections such as Reviews, News, Download.com, and Videos. The company was acquired by CBS Interactive in 2008 for 1.8 billion, expanding its operations in digital content and information services.
- Investors
- Investments & Acquisitions55 Mobile Games Network
& 8 more
- Acquired byRed Ventures
(Sep 2020)
Apps and channels of CNET
its YouTube channel CNET has 501K subscribers and 30 videos.
Videos from CNET
The most watched videos on CNET's YouTube channel, CNET (501K subscribers). Click a video to play it here.
More on CNET.
Investors in CNET
CNET has secured backing from 1 investor, including institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Red Ventures.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Web development, digital marketing, and market analytics services are provided. | 2000 | redventures.com | Fort Mill, United States |
Investor details for CNET
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
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Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
People of CNET
148 people are tracked at CNET (83 in leadership, 2 in board & advisors, 63 in team).
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Halsey Minor | Founder | Leadership |
Don Reisinger | Leadership | |
Abrar Al-Heeti | Leadership | |
Dara Kerr | Leadership | |
Ian Sherr | Leadership | |
Graham Webster | News Author | Leadership |
Carrie Mihalcik | News Author | Leadership |
Elsa Wenzel | News Author | Leadership |
Alexandra Garrett | News Author | Leadership |
Shara Tibken | News Author | Leadership |
Taylor Lester | Talent Acquisition Business Partner | Leadership |
Tony Navarro | Executive Vice President | Leadership |
Ric Elias | CEO & Co-Founder | Leadership |
Allison Blackwell | Senior Director | Leadership |
Samantha Ressler | Director | Leadership |
Mike Martin | Senior Director & General Manager, Financial Services Marketplaces | Leadership |
Ruiye Ni | Director Of Data Science | Leadership |
Andrea Spears Jackson | Senior Director Of Employee Relations | Leadership |
Ben Braun | Chief Operating Officer | Leadership |
Maghan Cook | Executive Vice President, Culture & Communications | Leadership |
128 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for CNET
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
- Board tenure
- Professional contacts
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Investments & Acquisitions by CNET
CNET has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 9 companies. Notable acquisitions include 55 Mobile Games Network, FindArticles and GameFAQs.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Community-based platforms for shopping, food, travel, and lifestyle are provided. | 55bbs.com | China | 2004 | Jun 2008 | •••• | |
Print and publishing services are provided to various clients. | findarticles.com | San Francisco, United States | 2000 | Nov 2007 | $20.5M | |
Version management and troubleshooting for IT systems are provided. | techtracker.com | Portland, United States | 1999 | Aug 2007 | •••• | |
Gaming news and reviews are delivered through a French portal. | gamekult.com | Paris, France | 2000 | Jan 2007 | •••• | |
Photo sharing platform | webshots.com | Corte Madera, United States | 1995 | Jul 2004 | $60M | |
Video game social platform | gamefaqs.com | San Francisco, United States | 1995 | Nov 2002 | •••• | |
IT news and analysis are delivered to tech professionals. | silicon.co.uk | London, United Kingdom | 0 | Aug 2002 | •••• | |
Online community and news platform for IT professionals is maintained. | techrepublic.com | San Francisco, United States | 1997 | Apr 2001 | $23M | |
Prices of online products are compared across various categories. | mysimon.com | San Francisco, United States | 1998 | Jan 2000 | $736M |
Complete acquisition details for CNET
Acquired stakes, deal sources and the complete acquisition history require an active premium plan.
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- Deal sources
- Complete history
- Exports
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of CNET
11 dated milestones of CNET across 26 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded CNET is founded.
- Acquisition Acquires MySimon.
- Acquisition Acquires TechRepublic.
- Acquisition Acquires Silicon UK.
- Acquisition Acquires GameFAQs.
- Acquisition Acquires Webshots.
- Acquisition Acquires Gamekult.
- Acquisition Acquires TechTracker.
- Acquisition Acquires FindArticles.
- Acquisition Acquires 55 Mobile Games Network.
- Exit Acquired by Red Ventures.
Competitors of CNET
CNET has 3 listed competitors in our database, 3 of them funded. They include Gigaom, RainStor and Freethink.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gigaom.com | 2006 | Santa Barbara, United States | $22M | Technology news and analysis are provided via an online platform. | ||
| rainstor.com | 2002 | San Francisco, United States | $26.33M | 329 | Online platform offering technology news | |
| freethink.com | 2001 | New York, United States | $28.3M | 118 | Science and technology content is published on an online platform. |
Detailed competitors of CNET
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
- Full competitor set
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- Competitive positioning
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Web traffic of CNET
The website of CNET (cnet.com) receives about 21.9M visits a month and ranks #3,019 among all websites worldwide, #476 in Computers Electronics and Technology.
- Monthly visits21.9M
▼ 2.2% vs previous month
- Unique visitors12.9M
per month
- Global rank#3,019
among all websites
- Category rank#476
Computers Electronics and Technology · Computers Electronics and Technology
- Bounce rate58%
- Pages per visit1.9
- Average visit1 min 04 sec
- DevicesDesktop 39% · Mobile 61%
Websites whose visitors overlap most with CNET. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pcmag.com | 100% | 14M | #5,319 | View details | |
| wired.com | 100% | 15.2M | #5,171 | View details | |
techradar.com | techradar.com | 100% | #3,587 | – | |
| zdnet.com | 95% | 8.5M | #8,978 | View details | |
| engadget.com | 94% | 6.8M | #12,531 | View details | |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 40 similar websites and full traffic analytics for CNET
The complete similar-websites list, audience overlap and engagement analytics require an active premium plan.
- 40 similar websites
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Top companies in DTC Media Innovators
3 companies that operate in the same segment as CNET (DTC Media Innovators) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Multi-category news is delivered through an app-based platform. | 2016 | Arlington, Virginia, United States | USD 30 M | 356 | ||
Online platform publishing content focusing on investment | 2011 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | USD 60.4 M | |||
Subscription-based sports media is delivered to local premium audiences. | 2016 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | USD 134.42 M |
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Related news about Cnet
Complete news archive for CNET
Full article history, source details, and older brand coverage require an active premium plan.
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Frequently Asked Questions about CNET
CNET was founded in 1994.
CNET is headquartered in San Francisco, United States. It is registered at San Francisco, California, United States.
CNET was founded in 1994 in San Francisco, United States, focusing on the technology media sector. Product reviews, price comparisons, software downloads, and tech news are delivered through its website, with content organized into sections such as Reviews, News, Download.com, and Videos. The company was acquired by CBS Interactive in 2008 for 1.8 billion, expanding its operations in digital content and information services.
CNET has made 9 acquisitions, including 55 Mobile Games Network, FindArticles, and GameFAQs.
CNET has 1 investor. Key investors include Red Ventures.
Yes. CNET was acquired by Red Ventures in September 2020.
The website of CNET receives about 21.9 million visits a month and ranks #3,019 among all websites worldwide.