Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA) is the American arm of Japanese multinational conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. Headquartered in New York City, the company manages Sony's business in the United States.
Sony Corporation of America's headquarters located at 25 Madison Avenue, New York City | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | |
| Founded | February 8, 1960 |
| Founder | Akio Morita |
| Headquarters | 25 Madison Avenue, , U.S. |
Key people |
|
Number of employees | 33,234 |
| Parent | Sony Group Corporation |
| Subsidiaries | See § Subsidiaries |
| Website | sony |
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. 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). By January 2020, nothing had materialized.
Investments in the United States
Sony 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.
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.
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.
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. In 2021, more than half of Sony Corporation's revenue came from companies based in the United States.
Sony Interactive Entertainment
In 2016, Sony moved PlayStation, Sony's biggest brand by revenue, to the United States. The largest acquisition by Sony Corporation was American video game company Bungie for $3.7 billion in 2022. The PlayStation 4 was the most profitable console ever, selling over 117 million units, making it the fourth best-selling console of all time. God of War became one of the 50 best-selling games of all time, selling 23 million units by November 2022. Sony Interactive Entertainment's revenue was $25 billion in 2021. The PS5 became Sony's fastest-selling and most profitable console ever.
Sony Pictures
On November 9, 1989, Sony entered the film industry by acquiring Columbia Pictures for $3.4 billion. 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. The Spider-Man film franchise has grossed more than $9.8 billion, making it the fifth highest-grossing film franchise in history. In 2021, Spider-Man: No Way Home became the seventh highest-grossing film of all time.
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. 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. 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. However, Skydance Media eventually became the emerging winner for the merger of Paramount.
Sony Music
On 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
| Acquired | Company | Business | Value | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 15, 2022 | Bungie | Video Games | $3.7 billion | |
| November 8, 1989 | Columbia Pictures | Movies/Television | $3.4 billion | |
| January 5, 1988 | CBS Records | Music | $2 billion | |
| August 9, 2021 | Crunchyroll | Video streaming service | $1.17 billion | |
| November 18, 2019 | Game Show Network | Basic cable channel | $500 million | |
| March 16, 2022 | AWAL, Kobalt Neighboring Rights | Music | $430 million | |
| July 2, 2012 | Gaikai | Cloud gaming | $380 million | |
| March 3, 2022 | Industrial Media | Entertainment | $350 million | |
| August 19, 2019 | Insomniac Games | Video Games | $229 million | |
| November 9, 1989 | Guber-Peters Entertainment | Movies/Television | $200 million | |
| June 12, 2024 | Alamo Drafthouse Cinema | Entertainment | $200 million | |
| December 10, 2019 | Sony Pictures Television Kids | Movies/Television | $195 million | |
| July 9, 2002 | Acuff-Rose Music | Music publishing | $157 million | |
| July 31, 2017 | Funimation | Entertainment | $143 million | |
| January 22, 2001 | Naughty Dog | Video Games | ||
| December 1, 2000 | Bend Studio | Video Games | ||
| August 2, 2011 | Sucker Punch Productions | Video Games | ||
| March 18, 2021 | EVO Championship | Esports | ||
| September 30, 2021 | Bluepoint Games | Video Games | ||
| July 18, 2022 | Repeat.gg | Esports | ||
| March 5, 2012 | The Orchard | Music | ||
| August 4, 2022 | Right Stuf | Video publishing | ||
| December 23, 2012 | Ultra Records | Music | ||
| October 25, 2022 | Pixomondo | Visual effects | ||
| April 20, 2023 | Firewalk Studios | Video Games | ||
| August 24, 2023 | Audeze | Music |
List of stakes owned by Sony in american companies
In 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.
| Company | Business | Value | Stakes % | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epic Games | Video games | $1.45 billion | 5.4% | |
| Discord | Communication | $100 million | 1.4% | |
| Devolver Digital | Video games | $50 million | 5.03% |
Subsidiaries
- Sony Entertainment, Inc.
- Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.
- Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan
- Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Inc.
- Sony Pictures Television Inc.
- Sony Pictures Experiences
- Sony Music Group
- Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.
- Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC
- Sony DADC US Inc.
- Sony Mobile Communications (USA) Inc. (Sony Mobile Communications Inc.)
- Sony Immersive Music Entertainment (Sony Corporation of America)
Others subsidiaries
- Sony Plaza Public Arcade (New York City, New York)
- Sony Optical Archive (formerly Optical Archive, San Jose, California)
- Sony Biotechnology (formerly iCyt Mission Technology, Champaign, Illinois)
- Micronics, Inc. (Redmond, Washington)
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