The Sony Corporation of America (SONAM,[2] also known as SCA) is the American subsidiary of Japanese multinational conglomerate Sony Group Corporation.[3] Headquartered in New York City, the company manages Sony's business in the United States.[4]
 | |
 Sony Corporation of America's headquarters located at 25 Madison Avenue, New York City | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | |
| Founded | February 15, 1960 |
| Founder | Akio Morita |
| Headquarters | 25 Madison Avenue, , U.S. |
Key people |
|
Number of employees | 33,234[1] |
| Parent | Sony Group Corporation |
| Subsidiaries | See § Subsidiaries |
| Website | sony.com/SCA/ |
Sony's principal U.S. businesses include Sony Corporation, Sony Interactive Entertainment and Sony Entertainment (Sony Music Group and Sony Pictures Entertainment).
It was reported in December 2016 by multiple news outlets that Sony was considering restructuring its U.S. operations by merging its television and film business, Sony Pictures Entertainment, with its gaming business, Sony Interactive Entertainment. According to the reports, such a restructuring would have placed Sony Pictures under Sony Interactive's then CEO, Andrew House, though he would not have assumed day-to-day operations of the film studio.[5][6][7] According to one report, Sony was set to make a final decision on the possibility of the merger of the television, film and gaming businesses by the end of its fiscal year in March of the following year (2017).[5] By January 2020, nothing had materialized.
Investments in the United States
editSony Group Corporation has been investing in the United States since the 1960s. Sony has made significant investments in various industries and has established a strong presence in the American market.
One of Sony's most notable investments in the US is in the entertainment industry. Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation, is a major player in the American film and television industry. The company produces, finances, and distributes a wide variety of content, including feature films, television shows, and streaming content. Sony Pictures has produced many successful and critically acclaimed movies, such as the Spider-Man and Jumanji franchises, as well as television shows like Breaking Bad and The Blacklist.[8]
In addition to the entertainment industry, Sony has also invested heavily in the gaming industry in the United States. Sony Interactive Entertainment, another subsidiary of Sony Corporation, is the company behind the PlayStation gaming console. The PlayStation has been a major player in the gaming market for decades and has consistently been one of the top-selling gaming consoles in the United States.[9]
Sony has also made investments in the technology and electronics industries in the United States. The company has manufacturing facilities and research and development centers in various states across the country, where they produce a wide range of products, including televisions, cameras, and audio equipment.[10]
Sony Corporation has made significant investments in the United States across multiple industries, including entertainment, gaming, technology, and electronics. The company's subsidiaries, such as Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Interactive Entertainment, have established a strong presence in the American market and have contributed to the growth of these industries. Sony's investments in the US have been successful and have helped to solidify the company's position as a major player in the global market. Sony is the tenth largest foreign direct investor in the United States, with investments worth more than $90 billion.[11] In 2021, more than half of Sony Corporation's revenue came from companies based in the United States.[12]
Sony Interactive Entertainment
editIn 2016, Sony moved PlayStation, Sony's biggest brand by revenue, to the United States.[13] The largest acquisition by Sony Corporation was American video game company Bungie for $3.7 billion in 2022.[14] The PlayStation 4 was the most profitable console ever, selling over 117 million units, making it the fourth best-selling console of all time.[15] God of War became one of the 50 best-selling games of all time, selling 23 million units by November 2022.[16] Sony Interactive Entertainment's revenue was $25 billion in 2021. The PS5 become Sony's fastest-selling and most profitable console ever.[17]
Sony Pictures
edit
On November 9, 1989, Sony entered the film industry by acquiring Columbia Pictures for $3.4 billion.[18] Columbia Pictures is considered one of the "Big Five" major American film studios. In 2021, Sony Pictures Entertainment became the highest earning film production company in the United States.
In 1999, Sony acquired the intellectual property (IP) movie rights to Spider-Man from Marvel Entertainment for $7 million.[19] The Spider-Man film franchise has grossed more than $9.8 billion, making it the fifth highest-grossing film franchise in history.[20] In 2021, Spider-Man: No Way Home became the seventh highest-grossing film of all time.[21]
On April 18, 2024, reports surfaced indicating Sony Pictures' interest in acquiring American media company Paramount Global through a joint buyout with Apollo Global Management. In May 2024, Sony Pictures and Apollo made an offer to acquire Paramount Global for $26 billion in cash.[22] The New York Times reported that the board of directors of Paramount Global formally initiated negotiations for the potential sale of the company with Sony and Apollo.[23] If the merger occurs, Sony would become as the third-largest movie company globally, following behind NBCUniversal and The Walt Disney Company, with Sony holding a 20.81% share in the US and Canada markets alone and Paramount Pictures becoming a sibling studio to Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures.[24] However, Skydance Media eventually became the emerging winner for the merger of Paramount.
Sony Music
editOn January 5, 1988, Sony entered the music industry by acquiring Sony Music (formerly CBS Records) for $2 Billion. With the $8.9 billion revenue in 2021, Sony Music Entertainment is the second largest of the "Big Three" record companies, behind Universal Music Group and followed by Warner Music Group.
List of American companies acquired by Sony
edit| Acquired | Company | Business | Value | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 15, 2022 | Bungie | Video Games | $3.7 billion | [14] |
| November 8, 1989 | Columbia Pictures | Movies/Television | $3.4 billion | [25] |
| January 5, 1988 | Sony Music | Music | $2 billion | [26] |
| August 9, 2021 | Crunchyroll | Video streaming service | $1.17 billion | [27] |
| November 18, 2019 | Game Show Network | Basic cable channel | $500 million | [28] |
| July 2, 2012 | Gaikai | Cloud gaming | $380 million | |
| March 3, 2022 | Industrial Media | Entertainment | $350 million | [29] |
| August 19, 2019 | Insomniac Games | Video Games | $229 million | [30] |
| November 9, 1989 | Guber-Peters Entertainment | Movies/Television | $200 million | |
| December 10, 2019 | Sony Pictures Television Kids | Movies/Television | $195 million | [31] |
| July 9, 2002 | Acuff-Rose Music | Music publishing | $157 million | |
| July 31, 2017 | Funimation | Entertainment | $143 million | [32] |
| January 22, 2001 | Naughty Dog | Video Games | [33] | |
| December 1, 2000 | Bend Studio | Video Games | ||
| August 2, 2011 | Sucker Punch Productions | Video Games | [34] | |
| March 18, 2021 | EVO Championship | Esports | [35] | |
| September 30, 2021 | Bluepoint Games | Video Games | [36] | |
| July 18, 2022 | Repeat.gg | Esports | [37] | |
| March 5, 2012 | The Orchard | Music | [38] | |
| August 4, 2022 | Right Stuf | Video publishing | [39] | |
| December 23, 2012 | Ultra Records | Music | [40] | |
| October 25, 2022 | Pixomondo | Visual effects | [41] | |
| April 20, 2023 | Firewalk Studios | Video Games | [42] | |
| August 24, 2023 | Audeze | Music | ||
| June 12, 2024 | Alamo Drafthouse Cinema | Entertainment | [43] |
List of american companies founded by Sony
edit| Founded | Company | Business |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Santa Monica Studio | Video Games |
| May 9, 2002 | Sony Pictures Animation | Animated film |
| March, 2005 | Aniplex of America | Anime and music production |
| 2019 | PlayStation Productions | Entertainment |
List of stakes owned by Sony in american companies
editIn 2022, Sony announced that it will invest more than 1 billion in Epic Games. In total, Sony's total investment in Epic Games is worth 1.45 billion and they own 4.9% of Epic Games.[44]
| Company | Business | Value | Stakes % | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epic Games | Video games | $1.45 billion | 5.4% | [45] |
| Discord | Communication | $100 million | 1.4% | [46] |
| Devolver Digital | Video games | $50 million | 5.03% | [47] |
Subsidiaries
edit- Sony Entertainment, Inc.[48]
- Sony DADC US Inc.
- Sony Mobile Communications (USA) Inc. (Sony Mobile Communications Inc.)[49]
- Sony Immersive Music Entertainment (Sony Corporation of America)[50]
Others subsidiaries
edit- Sony Plaza Public Arcade (New York City, New York)
- Sony Optical Archive (formerly Optical Archive, San Jose, California)[51]
- Sony Biotechnology (formerly iCyt Mission Technology, Champaign, Illinois)[52]
- Micronics, Inc. (Redmond, Washington)[53]
References
edit- ^ "Top Companies for | Find the Company".
- ^ "Sony Japan | Sony History 第10章 ソニーアメリカの設立". www.sony.co.jp. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ "Corporate Fact Sheet".
- ^ "Who We Are". Sony Corporation of America. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
- ^ a b Aldrich, Rachel (December 12, 2016). "Why would Sony merge its gaming and film units?". TheStreet.
- ^ Atkinson, Claire (December 12, 2016). "Sony considers merging gaming and film divisions". New York Post.
- ^ Cooke, Chris. "Revamp of Sony's entertainment business could more closely align Sony Music with Sony/ATV". Complete Music Update.
- ^ Mendelson, Scott. "Box Office: 'Jumanji: The Next Level' Is An Unprecedented Success". Forbes. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
- ^ Gray, Jasmine (August 25, 2022). "The 10 Largest Video Game Companies In The World, And What They Do". History-Computer. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
- ^ "Sony Manufacturers | Suppliers of Sony (US Import Trade Data) — Panjiva". panjiva.com. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
- ^ "The Largest Foreign Investments In The U.S." Forbes. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ Osati, Sohrab (August 6, 2020). "Sony Q1 2020 earnings overview: revenue 👆 2%, profits 👇 1%". Medium. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ "StackPath". www.industryweek.com. January 26, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ a b Peters, Jay (July 15, 2022). "Bungie is now officially part of Sony". The Verge. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ Ali Jones (October 28, 2020). "PS4 is more profitable than any console in video game history". gamesradar. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ Wood, Anthony (November 1, 2022). "God of War Sales Pass 23 Million Copies". IGN. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
- ^ Keane, Sean. "PS5 sales surpass 10 million, making it Sony's fastest-selling console". CNET. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
- ^ "Sony Completes $3.4-Billion Acquisition of Columbia". Los Angeles Times. November 8, 1989. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ Nick Evans (February 15, 2018). "Why Sony Only Bought The Rights To Spider-Man From Marvel". CINEMABLEND. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ Whitten, Sarah (January 31, 2021). "The 13 highest-grossing film franchises at the box office". CNBC. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ Rubin, Rebecca (January 23, 2022). "'Spider-Man: No Way Home' Swings to Sixth-Highest Grossing Movie in History With $1.69 Billion Globally". Variety. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (May 2, 2024). "Sony Pictures, Apollo Offer to Buy Paramount Global for $26 Billion in Cash". Variety. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ^ Mullin, Benjamin; Hirsch, Lauren (May 5, 2024). "Sony and Apollo in Talks to Acquire Paramount". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ^ "Distributors Movie Breakdown for 2023". The Numbers. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ^ "Sony Completes $3.4-Billion Acquisition of Columbia". Los Angeles Times. November 8, 1989. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ "Sony completes $2 billion purchase of CBS Records". UPI. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ Moore, D. M. (December 9, 2020). "Funimation officially acquires anime streaming service Crunchyroll for $1.175B". Polygon. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ Hayes, Dade (November 18, 2019). "Sony Acquires AT&T's 42% Game Show Network Stake In Deal Worth $500M". Deadline. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 3, 2022). "Sony Pictures Television Acquires Industrial Media In $300M Deal, Restructures Its Unscripted Operations". Deadline. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
- ^ Reichert, Corinne. "Sony paid $229 million for Insomniac Games". CNET. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ Clarke, Stewart (December 10, 2019). "Sony Pictures Television Buys Silvergate Media, Producer of 'Octonauts' and 'Hilda,' for $195 Million (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
- ^ John Eggerton (August 22, 2017). "Feds OK Sony Purchase of Funimation". Multichannel News. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ "Sony announces dual acquisitions". GameSpot. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ "SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT ACQUIRES SUCKER PUNCH PRODUCTIONS, DEVELOPER OF TOP SELLING INFAMOUS FRANCHISE". August 19, 2011. Archived from the original on August 19, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ "Sony Buys Evo". Kotaku. March 18, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ "Sony buys Demon's Souls remake developer Bluepoint Games". Eurogamer.net. September 30, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ "PlayStation continues esports expansion with Repeat.gg acquisition". GamesIndustry.biz. July 18, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ Christman, Ed (March 6, 2012). "Orchard, IODA Merging; Sony Music To Invest In New Company: Sources". Billboard. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
- ^ "Crunchyroll Purchases Anime Retailer Right Stuf". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ Billboard Staff (January 24, 2013). "Ultra Music and Sony Announce Partnership, Patrick Moxey Named President of Electronic Music". Billboard. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
- ^ Tangcay, Jazz (October 25, 2022). "Sony Pictures Entertainment Acquires VFX Company Pixomondo (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
- ^ B2B, Christopher Dring Head of Games (April 20, 2023). "PlayStation to acquire AAA multiplayer developer Firewalk Studios". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Maruf, Ramishah (June 12, 2024). "Sony Pictures is buying Alamo Drafthouse | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ Stewart, Marcus. "Sony Invests $1 Billion Into Epic Games' Metaverse Development". Game Informer. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ "Sony makes $1bn investment in Epic Games 'to deepen relationship in the metaverse field'". VGC. April 11, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ Shaun Prescott (May 3, 2021). "Sony makes minority investment in Discord following halt in Microsoft buyout talks". PC Gamer. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ "Sony Takes 5% Stake In Devolver, Which Has Gone Public". GameSpot. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
- ^ "Corporate Fact Sheet". Sony Corporation of America. Retrieved December 14, 2009.
- "Outline of Principal Operations". Sony Corporation of America. Retrieved December 14, 2009. - ^ "Company Overview of Sony Mobile Communications (USA) Inc". Bloomberg. July 6, 2023.
- ^ "Madison Beer Creates Ultra-Realistic Immersive Reality Concert Experience With Sony Music Entertainment and Verizon" (Press release). Sony Music. January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
- ^ "Sony to Acquire Optical Archive Inc". Sony Corporation of America. May 27, 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
- ^ "iCyt Mission Technology Renamed Sony Biotechnology" (PDF). Sony Corporation of America. October 18, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 19, 2012. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
- "Sony Enters the Flow Cytometry Business in Life Science Field by Acquiring iCyt". iCyt. Archived from the original on February 15, 2010. - ^ "Sony acquires Micronics, Inc., US diagnostic device development venture, Acquisition to accelerate development and commercialization of Point of Care diagnostic products". Sony Corporation. September 28, 2011. Retrieved April 6, 2012.