Media holdings company Red Ventures is in talks to buy consumer technology news and reviews website CNET Networks from ViacomCBS, according to people familiar with the ongoing negotiations.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the news Tuesday, and said that Red Ventures is considering paying up to $500 million for CNET. ViacomCBS told TheWrap it wouldn’t comment on the deal or its prospective worth. One person with knowledge of the ongoing deal said the Journal’s report was “accurate.”
Red Ventures did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Red Ventures is based in Fort Mill, S.C. and was founded in 2000. The potential CNET buy would add yet another consumer review-focused business to its growing portfolio of media brands — which includes Reviews.com, travel rewards website The Points Guy and healthcare information site Healthline, which it acquired in July. Red Ventures also paid $1.4 billion for a personal finance publisher called Bankrate in November 2017, according to funding database PitchBook Data Inc.
CNET launched in 1994 and was originally a print magazine before it began producing video content. ViacomCBS bought CNET in June 2008 for $1.8 billion, and Viacom merged CNET with its existing CBS Interactive division.
Viacom is planning to consolidate its various streaming sites into one giant “super service” which will launch in early 2021 and contain content from Showtime, CBS All Access, and the extensive ViacomCBS library which includes Comedy Central, BET and the Smithsonian channels.
Emmy Nomination Predictions 2020: All the Picks in 24 Top Categories (Photos)
For the first time in 42 years, the reigning drama and comedy series winners will not be in the running at this year's Emmys -- so here's who we think will be in line to take over from "Game of Thrones" and "Fleabag" as nominees in the top categories. You can also find more analysis on why we think these will be the nominees (and who could pull an upset) in drama, comedy, limited series/movies, and variety/reality programming.
Outstanding Drama Series: “Better Call Saul,” “The Crown,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Morning Show,” “Ozark,” “Pose,” “Succession” (pictured), “Westworld”
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Jason Bateman, “Ozark” (pictured); Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us”; Brian Cox, “Succession”; Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”; Billy Porter, “Pose”; Jeremy Strong, “Succession”
Netflix
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Jennifer Aniston, “The Morning Show”; Olivia Colman, “The Crown”; Jodie Comer, “Killing Eve”; Laura Linney, “Ozark”; Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale” (pictured); Sandra Oh, “Killing Eve”
Hulu
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Jonathan Banks, “Better Call Saul”; Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show”; Kieran Culkin, “Succession”; David Harbour, “Stranger Things”; Josh O’Connor, “The Crown”; Tom Pelphrey, “Ozark”; Bradley Whitford, “The Handmaid’s Tale”; Jeffrey Wright, “Westworld” (pictured)
HBO
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Helena Bonham Carter, “The Crown”; Laura Dern, “Big Little Lies”; Ann Dowd, “The Handmaid’s Tale”; Cynthia Erivo, “The Outsider”; Julia Garner, “Ozark”; Thandie Newton, “Westworld”; Rhea Seehorn, “Better Call Saul” (pictured) ; Meryl Streep, “Big Little Lies”
AMC
Outstanding Comedy Series: “Better Things,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Dead to Me,” “The Good Place,” “Insecure,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Ramy,” “Schitt’s Creek” (pictured)
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Pamela Adlon, “Better Things”; Christina Applegate, “Dead to Me”; Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (pictured); Linda Cardellini, “Dead to Me”; Issa Rae, “Insecure”; Catherine O’Hara, “Schitt’s Creek”
Amazon
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Anthony Anderson, “black-ish”; Ted Danson, “The Good Place” (pictured); Larry David, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”; Michael Douglas, “The Kominsky Method”; Eugene Levy, “Schitt’s Creek”; Ramy Youssef, “Ramy”
NBC
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Alex Borstein, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”; D’Arcy Carden, “The Good Place”; Betty Gilpin, “GLOW”; Marin Hinkle, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”; Jane Lynch, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”; Kate McKinnon, “Saturday Night Live” (pictured); Annie Murphy, “Schitt’s Creek”; Yvonne Orji, “Insecure”
NBC
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Mahershala Ali, “Ramy” (pictured); Louie Anderson, “Baskets”; Alan Arkin, “The Kominsky Method”; Sterling K. Brown, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”; Peter Gallagher, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”; Dan Levy, “Schitt’s Creek”; Tony Shalhoub, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”; Kenan Thompson, “Saturday Night Live”
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie: Jeremy Irons, “Watchmen”; Hugh Jackman, “Bad Education”; Aaron Paul, “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie”; Paul Mescal, “Normal People” (pictured); Mark Ruffalo: “I Know This Much Is True”
Hulu
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie: Cate Blanchett, “Mrs. America”; Kaitlyn Dever, “Unbelievable” (pictured); Regina King, “Watchmen”; Kerry Washington, “Little Fires Everywhere”; Merritt Wever, “Unbelievable”
Netflix
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie: Tituss Burgess, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend”; Darren Criss: “Hollywood”; Tim Blake Nelson, “Watchmen”; Jim Parsons, “Hollywood” (pictured); Jesse Plemons, “El Camino”; John Turturro, “The Plot Against America”
Netflix
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie: Uzo Aduba, “Mrs. America”; Rose Byrne, “Mrs. America” (pictured); Toni Collette, “Unbelievable”; Margo Martindale, “Mrs. America”; Sarah Paulson, “Mrs. America”; Jean Smart, “Watchmen”
Hulu
Outstanding Variety Talk Series: “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” (pictured), “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver,” “The Late Late Show With James Corden,” “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”
Outstanding Variety Sketch Show: “At Home With Amy Sedaris,” “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” “Drunk History” (pictured), “Saturday Night Live”
Comedy Central
Outstanding Variety Special (Live): “Garth & Trisha Live!,” “Live in Front of a Studio Audience: ‘All in the Family’ and ‘Good Times’,” “The Oscars,” “Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show Starring Jennifer Lopez and Shakira” (pictured), “73rd Annual Tony Awards”
Getty
Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded): “Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones”; “Hannah Gadsby: Douglas” (pictured); “Homefest: James Corden’s Late Late Show Special”; “Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill”; “The Kennedy Center Honors”; “One World: Together at Home”
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program: Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowski and Jonathan Van Ness, “Queer Eye” (pictured); Nicole Byer, “Nailed It”; Ellen DeGeneres, “Ellen’s Game of Games”; Jane Lynch, “Hollywood Game Night”; Amy Poehler & Nick Offerman, “Making It”; RuRaul, “RuPaul’s Drag Race”
Netflix
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Last year’s champs, ”Game of Thrones“ and ”Fleabag,“ are out of the running — so here’s who we think will be vying to occupy those empty thrones
For the first time in 42 years, the reigning drama and comedy series winners will not be in the running at this year's Emmys -- so here's who we think will be in line to take over from "Game of Thrones" and "Fleabag" as nominees in the top categories. You can also find more analysis on why we think these will be the nominees (and who could pull an upset) in drama, comedy, limited series/movies, and variety/reality programming.