CBS Continues to Impress Me

Once thought of as a network destination for the geriatric, CBS has, in my opinion, proven itself time and time again to be a true innovator in the media space. Today, CBS announced the acquisition of CNET has only confirmed to me that Quincy Smith has not only has an opportune eye on the tech/media M&A market, but also understands that digital acquisitions are about more than just banner advertisements and could/should be integrated into a media companies overall content strategy across all channels.

Without a product like Hulu in market, CBS has attracted relatively little press about their content distribution and syndication strategy; however, they have been by far one of the most prolific in the marketplace to date. At the same time, Quincy Smith has verbally acknowledged the importance of online communities for brand building, but stayed relatively clear of unnecessary social network purchases that they wouldn’t be able to efficiently monetize. Why purchase a Bebo that would get at best a .30 cent CPM on remnant inventory when you can sell premium CNET inventory? Moreover, CNET is a bit of a fixer-upper. Their sell through needs help and their dynamic pricing engine seems to have limited applications.

As a youngster in the digital space, Quincy is a guy I definitely look up to. Too bad he doesn’t have more influence over all of Viacom.