CNET Discusses Growth Without Webshots (2Q05 CNET Conf Call Quotes)

During the last year CNET Networks (ticker: CNET) acquired Webshots and HeyPix!, creating a photo sharing service that now accounts for a large proportion of CNET's page views and users. After CNET highlighted in its press release and conference call that its unique users rose by 55% and page views by 134%, CEO Shelby Bonnie was asked about the contribution from Webshots. Specifically, analysts asked two questions about Webshots: (1) Does Webshots now account for over 50% of CNET's total page views? (Last quarter CNET said it was just under 50%.) (2) What was the growth in Webshots' users and usage? Here are the extracts from Mr. Bonnie's answers that came closest to answering these questions:

To the first question we don't actually breakout page views between our sites… if you look at overall growth in both page views and users and you took out acquisitions in the last 12 months which would include things like Webshots, we still saw… at least 20% growth in both users and usage on… all of our different services combined. I think as we said, the numbers you see right now… we don't suggest that they're going to continue at the same rates in terms of overall growth. Having said that, I think we are seeing nice growth across the board with respect to our different services…

On the final question, on the user and usage growth… we continue as we've in the last nine months really focused on scaling the property... We have seen nice increases in both users and usage.

We have been able to maintain our position as the leading photo sharing site, even though there's been clearly a lot of attention by a lot of other companies in the space… Webshots has only continued to get stronger with respect to its relationships with users and usage…

(Quotes are from the CCBN StreetEvents transcript.)

Full disclosure: at the time of writing I'm short CNET.