What do you do when you're a pioneer in consumer-technology insight and suddenly find yourself battling nimble news-breaking blogs and stodgy dot-com titans? If you're CNET Networks (NASDAQ:CNET), you raise the stakes of your CNET stronghold by embracing the video platform.
The company officially launched CNET TV this week. As a depository for its growing collection of tech-news commentary clips and product reviews, CNETTV.com is hoping to make video stars out of its editorial staff.
It's the right move. Maybe you don't think you need tips to extend your laptop battery's life or techno-gadgetry product reviews in video form. That's OK. The key here is that popular blogs like GigaOm and TechCrunch don't have the resources to produce the slick eye candy that CNET can, while a larger site like Yahoo! (NASDAQ:YHOO) doesn't have that kind of original content-creating commitment.
Being at the forefront of consumer-tech video streams has helped CNET strike some attractive content-distribution deals. Whether it's through a Verizon (NYSE:VZ) screen or a TiVo (NASDAQ:TIVO) box, CNET TV segments are being served to audiences outside conventional Internet-based channels. For now, the competition just can't follow CNET there.
Given last week's rocky news at CNET, it's great to know that the company is still focused on keeping the lead in consumer-technology enlightenment.
All that being said, CNET TV is not perfect. Screening several clips last night, I couldn't help wondering why I was seeing the same Vtech ad between the segments. I don't care if Vtech is sponsoring the clips -- CNET could do better than that. Even though each product review had a link at the bottom to take you to the full review, CNET TV is just begging to be monetized more effectively. Shouldn't a segment for tips on making the most of laptop batteries be fitted with ads for replacement batteries or new laptops? Shouldn't actual product reviews have links to CNET's MySimon comparison-shopping site featured more prominently?
Regardless, CNET TV is a promising venture. It's great to see Molly Wood and Tom Merritt, the original hosts of the Buzz Report podcast that I was fortunate enough to be a guest on last year, continue to further their careers as consumer-tech rock stars. Let's just make sure we're not leaving too much money on the table next time, OK?
CNET is an active recommendation in the Rule Breakers growth stock newsletter service. TiVo has been singled out to Stock Advisor readers. Try out Stock Advisor today, and we'll send you a free report.
Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz is a fan of CNET, and he does own shares in TiVo. He is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early. The Fool has a disclosure policy.
