C/NET to Unveil Web Service

C/NET Inc. said it will announce today the launch of a wide-ranging consumer online service, which combines co-branded CD-ROM disks with a Web site offering services over the Internet. The new offering, called Snap! Online, is a bid by the computer news and television production company to extend beyond its current high-tech focus, adding subjects such as entertainment, sports, travel, finances and health. The new features will rival other major media sites on the World Wide Web, including Yahoo Inc. and its Internet navigation rivals such as Excite Inc. The CD-ROM enhancement enables San Francisco-based C/NET to take advantage of the hybrid CD-ROM and online model being heavily promoted by chip maker Intel Corp., an investor in C/NET, as a means of offering rich multimedia content.