CEA Drops CNET as 'Best of CES' Partner After CBS Quashed Hopper Award
CNET Says It Will Continue to Cover the Trade Show
By: Todd Spangler
Multichannel News
Jan 31 2013 - 2:38pm
http://www.multichannel.com/satellite/cea-drops-cnet-best-ces-partner-after-cbs-quashed-hopper-award/141504
The Consumer Electronics Association has nixed its deal with tech news
site CNET as the official partner of the “Best of CES” awards program,
after parent company CBS overruled CNET editors' pick of Dish Network’s
Hopper with Sling because of the broadcaster’s ongoing litigation over
the product.
Asked for comment, CBS distributed a statement attributed to Mark
Larkin, senior vice president and general manager of CNET, that said:
"As the #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.”
CEA on Thursday said that Dish’s Hopper with Sling Whole-Home HD DVR
will join the Razer Edge gaming tablet as co-winners of the “Best of
Show” award under the “Best of CES” awards program for the 2013
International CES.
CNET editors originally selected the Hopper with Sling as “Best of Show”
before CBS barred them from granting the award to the DVR, citing the
broadcaster’s lawsuit against Dish. "The Dish Hopper with Sling was
removed from consideration due to active litigation involving our parent
company CBS Corp.," CNET said in explaining the decision earlier this
month. "We will no longer be reviewing products manufactured by
companies with which we are in litigation with respect to such product."
CBS and other broadcasters is suing Dish over the Hopper’s automatic
ad-skipping feature. Last week, CEA filed an amicus brief in support of
Dish in the lawsuit.
“We are shocked that the ‘Tiffany’ network, which is known for its high
journalistic standards, would bar all its reporters from favorably
describing classes of technology the network does not like,” CEA
president and CEO Gary Shapiro said in a statement. “We believe that the
Dish Hopper DVR is fully covered by the Supreme Court’s ruling in Sony
Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios Inc. The simple fact is
making television easier to watch is not against the law. It is simply
pro-innovation and pro-consumer.”
CEA said it will soon issue a request for proposal (RFP) to identify a
new partner to run the Best of CES awards program.
In addition to the Hopper brouhaha, a CNET review last week of the
Internet TV streaming service from Aereo -- which also is being sued by
CBS and others -- carried a disclaimed that read, “CBS, the parent
corporation of CNET, is currently in active litigation with Aereo as to
the legality of its service. As a result of that conflict of interest,
CNET cannot review that service going forward.”
Dish president and CEO Joe Clayton, responding to the CEA's post-event
award, said in a statement: “We appreciate the International CES’
decision to stand with the consumer in the acknowledgement of this
award... We look forward to continuing our longstanding relationship
with CNET’s editorial staff and hope they are able return to their long
tradition of unbiased evaluation and commentary of the industry’s
products and services.”
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