Consumer Electronics Association cuts ties with CNET

The Consumer Electronics Association cut its ties with CNET on Thursday, two weeks after CNET’s parent company, the CBS Corporation, prohibited the website’s editors from giving an award to an innovative product it deemed illegal.

Brian Stelter of The New York Times writes, “The association’s announcement was a stern rebuke to CNET, a longtime partner of the association’s annual conference, the International Consumer Electronics Show. The official name is International CES. CNET will no longer host the Best of CES Awards, Ms. Chupka said; the association is seeking a new partner for it.

“Mark Larkin, the general manager of CNET, did not comment directly on the association’s decision, but he said in a statement: ‘As the No. 1 tech news and reviews site in the world, CNET is committed to delivering in-depth coverage of consumer electronics. We look forward to covering CES and the latest developments from the show as we have for well over a decade.’

“The spat over the Hopper was, among other things, a proxy fight between CBS and Dish, which are battling in court over the legality of the Hopper. Dish says the product is perfectly acceptable and addresses what consumers want; CBS says it violates copyright. The case is pending, as are several other network owners’ cases against Dish. Last week CBS revised its lawsuit to accuse Dish of covering up its plans for the Hopper during carriage negotiations between the two companies.”

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