Sony Group Co. reported little change in income for the July-September interval at 2.91 trillion yen ($19 billion), equal to income within the April-March second quarter of the fiscal 12 months. However web revenue on the group degree soared 75% to three.39 trillion yen ($2.21 billion).
The “Footage Division”, which covers function movies, TV channels and TV content material manufacturing companies, reported three-month income of US$2.38 billion, working earnings of US$124 million, and adjusted working earnings of US$218 million.
Though gross sales and working earnings had been down 12 months over 12 months, every confirmed quarter-over-quarter development. Within the second quarter of final 12 months, the movie and tv division made a revenue of US$204 million.
The video games and on-line providers divisions achieved gross sales and income development. Income was 1.07 trillion yen ($6.99 billion), in contrast with 954 billion yen ($6.23 billion) in the identical interval final 12 months. Working earnings was 139 billion yen ($908 million), in contrast with 49 billion yen ($320 billion) a 12 months earlier.
The music division reported income of 448 billion yen ($2.92 billion), in contrast with 409 billion yen ($2.67 billion) a 12 months earlier. Its working earnings additionally elevated from 81 billion yen ($529 million) to 90.4 billion yen ($590 million)
Sony mentioned its movie division continues to be affected by the writers’ and actors’ strike in 2023, leading to manufacturing delays and decrease deliveries. This was partially offset by larger Crunchyroll income and constructive affect from Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. The unit’s earnings had been additionally hit by larger programming and advertising and marketing prices on the group’s Indian media networks.
Recreation unit income elevated attributable to elevated gross sales of third-party video games and add-on merchandise and the expansion of on-line providers (primarily PlayStation Plus). {Hardware} (console) gross sales fell, however profitability improved. As of the top of the quarter, PlayStation Community had 116 million international subscribers, in contrast with 107 million in the identical interval final 12 months.
Music section gross sales had been boosted by enhancements in dwell occasions, merchandising, recorded music and music publishing. Music streaming income additionally elevated. These had been partially offset by larger prices. This season’s hottest musical acts embody SZA’s “SOS,” David Gilmour’s “Luck and Unusual” and Travis Scott’s “Utopia.”
Sony launched 5 theatrical movies within the July-September quarter, with “This Is Us” its highest-grossing hit up to now. Its whole income was $149 million in North America and $194 million abroad. Films launched this season embody “Venom: The Final Dance” and “Kraven the Hunter,” whereas “Paddington, Peru” shall be launched in January 2025.
Whereas the business has raised questions over Sony’s place and dedication to the leisure enterprise over the previous decade, the group itself is not in any doubt.
Sony’s 2024 company report, launched individually from its annual monetary report in September, features a “Artistic Leisure Imaginative and prescient” assertion outlining its media and leisure technique for the subsequent decade. It simply explains how the staff moved from delivering “kando” (which roughly interprets to “happiness” in English) by way of {hardware} like televisions and Walkman music gamers to creating it.
Taking anime (Japanese animated collection and films) for instance, it illustrates how the group ought to first maximize the worth of its mental property rights by extra totally leveraging its completely different companies. Animation anticipated to develop internationally is produced by way of Aniplex, a subsidiary of Sony Music Leisure Japan, and developed by way of Crunchyroll, Sony’s direct-to-consumer streaming platform, a subsidiary of Los Angeles-based Sony Footage Leisure Firm (SPE) three way partnership.
