CBS has agreed to purchase tech news Web site operater CNET Networks for $1.8 billion, according to a story from Mike Barris of The Wall Street Journal.
Barris writes, “San Francisco-based CNET owns such Internet entertainment, news and information sites as CNET, ZDNet and GameSpot.com. The company has ‘a large international footprint, particularly in China,’ CBS noted.
“CNET’s sites will be combined with CBS’s news and sports sites as well as CBS Radio and CBS Television Stations digital media platforms, and the distribution network of the CBS Audience Network, which is made up of more than 300 partner Web sites and reaches 82% of all U.S. online users.
“A four-month proxy fight has been waged over CNET, led by New York hedge fund Jana Partners LLC, which has been seeking to elect seven new members to CNET’s eight-person board. Jana officials couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. Jana is the largest shareholder in CNET, with more than 10% of the outstanding shares as of Feb. 20, according to FactSet Research. Overall, hedge funds own more than 38% of the company’s stock, according to FactSet.”
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