CNET shareholder asks co to reconsider appeal on nominee ruling

March 17 (Reuters) - CNET Networks Inc CNET.O shareholder Jana Partners LLC hit back against the online media company's plan to appeal a court ruling that allows a group of investors affiliated to Jana to nominate seven directors to its board.

The Delaware Court of Chancery ruled earlier that hedge fund Jana Partners, which is leading a group of investors trying to take control of CNET's board, could nominate directors without violating the company's corporate bylaws.

Jana Partners said it is part of a group that is the largest shareholder of CNET Networks.

"We have offered shareholders a choice of new directors who we believe will help create maximum shareholder value, a choice they are free to embrace or reject, and we believe it is wrong to burn further company assets in seeking to deny them this choice," Jana Partners said in a statement.

CNET had earlier said it was defending the litigation because "it is not in the best interest of our stockholders to undertake a costly and disruptive proxy contest initiated by Jana Partners that does not comply with the company's bylaws." (Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Bangalore; Editing by Pratish Narayanan)