In a surprising turn of events, the number one digital camera review site, DPReview.com, has announced that it has been acquired by online retail giant, Amazon.com.

Phil Askey, founder of DPReview.com, had this to say on his web site:

Today marks an exciting milestone in the history of dpreview.com, everyone here is very much looking forward to being able to do more with Amazon’s help. We’re aiming to expand our product coverage and deliver new site features for our readers and our daily community.

Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com, proclaimed himself a long time fan of the review site and welcomed the dpreview.com team, currently comprised of Phil Askey, his wife Joanna, Simon Joinson and Gordon Solomon.

Phil Askey tried to reassure his many faithful readers (7 million unique visitors a month) that “Dpreview.com will continue to function as a stand-alone operation based in London.”

We suspect things will change. Why would a retail site like Amazon.com need to own a review site unless it is to gain the potential customers? There is only one reason: to convert the readership into Amazon.com customers. Currently, DPReview.com sells through CNET Shopper and does not list Amazon.com as an affiliate. Expect this to change.

Will Phil Askey, who prides himself and his site as being truly independent from the camera manufacturers and unbiased, continue to be able to “recommend” products as he sees fit? We hope so, have depended on these personal evaluations as being on target 99.99% of the time, and believe Phil believes he can and will be allowed to do so — but we seriously doubt it. Jeff Bezos does not make any promise in this regard, and what he does not say in this regard is more telling than what he does say.

Expect then that editorial independence will last for perhaps another 2 years: most buy-out contract requires the founder to an obligatory minimum 2-year stay to keep and help steer the readership to whatever new business model the buyer desires.

During those 2 years, expect the Amazon’s culture to take over; DPReview staff to wonder who their boss really is (i.e. Phil or his boss) and loyalties to subtly but irrevocably shift; small but significant clashes over editorial and specially advertorial content to mount; and, eventually, disgust, burn-out and reality to set in. The next 2 years will be Phil’s hardest as an entrepreneur letting his baby go. But let it, he must, and move on to his next big venture — which, we hope, he is quietly formulating right now.

The race for the new #1 in (really independent) digital camera review site is on!

Just for the fun of it, peering into our unreliable crystal ball, here’s what we predict will happen (though not necessarily in that order) in the near future:

1. Amazon.com becomes the sole seller of products on DPReview.com
2. Amazon.com context ads eventually sprinkled liberally in content (though expect Phil to fight it for a while)
3. Other reviewers hired to write actual reviews, Phil promoted to “Director”
4. Website redesigned to be more “Amazon.com” friendly
5. Too many “Highly Recommended” awards given out
6. Subjective recommendation eventually dropped
7. Two years later, Phil announces his departure
8. Simon leaves at the end of his current contract [in these kind of buy-out, only the founder reaps any financial windfall; employees do not] — or, if he plays his card right and the boss son’s does not want the job, he gets promoted and takes over
9. Readership declines because it is just not possible to claim “independence” from a behemoth
10. New #1 digital camera review site — or perhaps none since by then who will care about digital camera reviews anymore since most consumer models are manufactured by cheap third-party generic manufacturers and private-labeled anyway?

Press Release:

AMAZON.COM ACQUIRES DPREVIEW.COM — THE LEADING ONLINE DESTINATION FOR REVIEWS AND INFORMATION ABOUT DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY

(BUSINESS WIRE) SEATTLE, WA—May 14, 2007—Leading online retailer Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced it has acquired www.dpreview.com, the web’s most comprehensive site for digital camera information and reviews. Founded in 1998 by Phil Askey, dpreview.com provides unbiased reviews and original content regarding the latest in digital cameras, and offers a host of features and forums designed to make it easy for consumers to find the camera that’s right for them. With its unique voice and in-depth technical reviews, dpreview.com draws millions of unique visitors each month.

“Dpreview.com is by far the most authoritative source anywhere for straight talk about new digital cameras,” said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com. “We at Amazon.com have been their fans for a long time, and we extend a big welcome to the dpreview.com team.”

“One of the difficulties of operating dpreview.com independently has been the balance between producing content and delivering new site features,” said Phil Askey, founder of dpreview.com. “Now, with the support of Amazon, I’ll be able to devote more of my time to expanding and improving our features – such as product reviews and discussion forums while still delivering the high-quality content that our readers have come to expect.”

Dpreview.com offers in-depth reviews of the latest digital cameras and accessories, active discussion forums, digital photography and imaging news, sample images, a dynamic digital camera buyers’ guide, side-by-side comparisons of the most popular models, and the web’s most comprehensive database of digital camera features and specifications.

Dpreview.com will continue to function as a stand-alone operation based in London.

About Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc., (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as health and personal care, jewelry and watches, gourmet food, sports and outdoors, apparel and accessories, books, music, DVDs, electronics and office, toys and baby, and home and garden.

Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, and www.joyo.com.

As used herein, “Amazon.com,” “we,” “our” and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.

Amazon.com Forward Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management’s expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, significant amount of indebtedness, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com’s financial results is included in Amazon.com’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006, and all subsequent filings.

For more information:

Amazon.com US Media Hotline: 206-266-7180

Amazon.co.uk Media: 44-0208-636-9462 / 44-0789-989-7641

Reference: DPReview.com, Forum Board






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