Amazon.com buys dpreview.com

The official press release concerning the purchase of dpreview.com, by Amazon.com is listed below. We spoke to Ben Hawes, PR Manager for Amazon in the UK regarding the purchase.

On the question of the purchase price or the terms and conditions of the sale, Hawes commented that, "the terms have not been disclosed at this time." To put it into perspective however, dpreview.com had a published turnover in excess of £1.5m last year, and photo-site, Photobucket, recently sold for $250m. Amazon are adamant that the website will stay in London at its current offices and that the editorial independence would be maintained. Hawes offered, "Amazon will invest further in the user experience on dpreview, in the content provided and ensure that it continues to be a success."

The volume of dpreview's referral traffic has undoubtedly been a factor in the eyes of the online retail giant. We asked whether there would be dpreview branded reviews on the Amazon site and whether bad reviews would be rewritten for Amazon consumption. Hawes replied that, "Amazon will be linking to dpreview but there will be no interference with the content or what dpreview choose to review."

Hawes also added that Amazon would be looking at ways to maximise traffic too and from the dpreview site, including using the site for features, in the way that there are currently buyers guides to cameras on the Amazon site. Interestingly Hawes also added that, "Amazon will provide the resources to help increase the content of dpreview for photography and technology," which leads to speculation that either the current site will branch out into gadgets and electronics, or lend itself to branding an Amazon run site.

Phil Askey, founder of dpreview.com, however, denied this would be the case: "We nor Amazon have any plans in us branching away from photography into other categories."

Press release:
Leading online retailer Amazon.com today announced it has acquired 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.