• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, December 11, 2008

CBS Thursday confirmed an undisclosed number of layoffs within its interactive division in an effort to consolidate operations within the unit following the network's $1.8 billion acquisition of CNet in May.

The streamlining initiative involves combining CBSNews.com and CNet into a single newsgroup in which the two CBS Interactive properties will merge newsrooms and share resources while continuing to maintain separate Web sites.

A CBS spokesperson said the cutbacks fall across other CBS Interactive properties, which include CBS.com, TV.com, Last.fm and ZDNet, but declined to provide further details on layoffs or other restructuring affecting other sites.

A brief statement released Thursday by CBS on the moves was similarly vague. "CBS Interactive continues its integration process, which now calls for the further combination of several portions of the division into unified groups oriented around similar content."

At the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference in New York on Wednesday, CBS chief executive Leslie Moonves expressed satisfaction with Cnet acquisition, but said such a deal would not happen today because of the economic downturn. Despite the recession, Moonves predicted that CBS would generate as much as $1 billion in online revenue by 2010.

CBS ranked as the 11th-biggest online property in October, with $52.6 million unique visitors in October, according to comScore.

The CBS spokesperson also confirmed that Patrick Keane, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of CBS Interactive, is leaving the company, but didn't provide a specific date. Keane joined CBS in February 2007 from Google, where he led advertising sales strategy.

D: All Things Digital's Peter Kafka reported earlier this week that Keane has not been working at CBS for weeks, and that his role will be filled by Mickey Wilson, who was senior vice president of marketing at CNet.