TiVo is sitting in the sweet spot. And when I see a company like Disney playing around with a company like TiVo I begin to wonder if Disney is getting its feet wet in advance of a buyout deal. With a market cap just under a billion it might be too much to swallow, but it would give Disney a technology it could use and leverage.

I think he’s over-reaching just a wee bit. Sure, TiVo has made a deal with Disney to bring their content to TiVo downloads, and that’s a significant deal for what it is. But the deal is really through CinemaNow, the Disney content is just the major marque name involved, and the only major studio TiVo didn’t already have via Amazon Unbox. Disney’s content is also available via Apple’s iTunes and Apple TV – is Disney going to buy Apple? Steve Jobs already has a foot in both camps. TiVo has deals with Amazon, Jaman. YouTube, Rhapsody, Music Choice, etc. CinemaNow is just another content partner, I think John is reading too much into the deal.

I don’t see where it makes sense for Disney to buy TiVo. They’re a big brand name, with built-in demand. They’re better off doing deals like this one, and the Apple deal, to bring their content to more platforms, and therefore into more homes. They don’t need to own a hardware company to do that.

“CNet Networks will add a tremendous platform to extend our complementary entertainment, news, sports, music and information content to a whole new global audience,” CBS Chief Leslie Moonves said in a statement. “Together, CBS and CNet Networks will have significant additional exposure to the fastest- growing advertising sector and can accelerate our growth through a number of new content, promotion and advertising initiatives.”

Upon closing, CNet Networks’ sites will be combined with CBS’s interactive businesses, which include CBS.com, CBSSports.com, MaxPreps.com, CBSNews.com, last.fm, Wallstrip and MobLogic.

I really, really hope that CBS doesn’t screw CNet when ‘combining’ it with their existing properties. I rather like CNET content. I’ve been using last.fm since the early days, and it doesn’t seem to have suffered under CBS, so I have some hope. I’d just hate for this to end up like TechTV after they got merged into G4.