Wirestock/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Above: Sony Pictures, massive potential to expand IP blending its TV and film base with scale up matching close to Disney. If you look at the present candidates and would be contenders in the Paramount (PARA) free for all dead end, it is not hard to conclude that logic must bring you to a close for Sony (NYSE:SONY). As we have noted, the price might need a bit sweetening above the $26 on the table to put a smile button on everyone's chest, including Shari, and all ...

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A logo of Sony is seen at the headquarters of Sony Corp. on May 10, 2022, in Tokyo. Japanese electronics and entertainment company Sony says it's focusing on creativity in movies, animation and video games, rather than old- fashioned gadgetry. Credit: AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File Japanese electronics and entertainment company So ...

Sony has signed an NDA with Paramount Global, a move that will give it access to the books and allow deal talks to move ahead, Deadline hears. Sony and private equity giant Apollo kicked things off previously with a preliminary bid of $26 billion, but what's being contemplated now is not that, but something narrower. A look at the books is necessary to move forward in any case. The non-disclosure agreement comes two weeks after a Paramount's monthlong exclusive negotiating window with David Ellison's Skydan ...

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - For FY '23, consolidated sales reached JPY 13,020.8 billion, a record high, with operating income at JPY 1,208.8 billion and net income at JPY 970.6 billion [76] - The forecast for FY '24 includes sales of JPY 2,310 billion, operating income of JPY 1,275 billion, and net income of JPY 925 billion [73] - Operating cash flow is expected to increase by 19% year-on-year to JPY 1,400 billion [73] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The G&NS segment saw a 17% year-on-year sales increase to JPY 4,267.7 billion, with operating income rising to JPY 290.2 billion [78] - The Music segment's sales increased by 17% year-on-year to JPY 1,690 billion, with operating income at JPY 301.7 billion [85] - The Pictures segment's sales rose by 9% year-on-year to JPY 1,493.1 billion, while operating income remained flat at JPY 177 billion [89] - The I&SS segment's sales increased by 14% year-on-year to JPY 1,602.7 billion, but operating income decreased to JPY 103.5 billion [96] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Monthly active users on the PlayStation platform reached 180 million accounts, a 9% increase year-on-year, with total playtime increasing by 15% [81] - The smartphone market is expected to recover slowly, impacting the I&SS segment, but demand for larger die-sized sensors is anticipated to drive growth [52][97] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The fifth midrange plan focuses on maximizing synergies across the group and enhancing corporate value through continuous growth [111] - The strategy includes expanding the PlayStation console base and enhancing first-party software titles [115] - The company aims to grow faster than the market in the Music segment by increasing monetization opportunities and expanding into emerging markets [116] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management acknowledges the uncertain and volatile business environment but aims to strengthen the earnings base and improve investment efficiency [112] - The company expects to harvest the benefits of investments made in the previous midrange plan during the current period [25] Other Important Information - The company plans to maintain a total payout ratio of 40% by FY '26, with a focus on balanced capital allocation and strengthening returns to shareholders [55][57] - The impact of foreign exchange rates resulted in a positive JPY 140 billion effect on income for FY '23 [51] Q&A Session All Questions and Answers Question: What is the company's view on enhancing enterprise value and capital allocation? - The company plans to reduce investment and increase returns to shareholders compared to the previous midrange plan, focusing on sustainable enterprise value growth [22][24] Question: How does the company view the impact of the weaker yen on overseas M&A? - The company believes that while the weaker yen presents challenges, it does not significantly hinder overseas M&A opportunities as returns are evaluated against hurdle rates [34] Question: What is the expected timeline for returns on studio acquisitions? - The company expects returns from studio acquisitions to be realized over the next three to five years, with a focus on effective portfolio management [39][59] Question: What is the forecast for the image sensor business amid a shrinking smartphone market? - The company anticipates growth in the image sensor business due to increased demand for larger die-sized sensors, despite a slow recovery in the smartphone market [52][97]

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D. C. 20549 FORM 6-K REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER 1-7-1 KONAN, MINATO-KU, TOKYO, 108-0075, JAPAN (Address of principal executive offices) The registrant files annual reports under cover of Form 20-F. Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F, Form 20-F x Form 40-F ¨ SIGNATURE Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this rep ...

Financial Performance - For the three months ended December 31, 2023, consolidated Adjusted OIBDA increased to ¥628.3 billion, up from ¥561.5 billion in the same period last year, representing a growth of 11.9%[6] - The nine months ended December 31, 2023, saw a consolidated Adjusted OIBDA of ¥1,450.3 billion, a decrease of 5.1% from ¥1,527.5 billion in the previous year[6] - The forecast for consolidated sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, has been revised to ¥12,300 billion, a decrease of ¥100 billion or 0.8% from the previous forecast[8] - Operating income for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, is expected to be ¥1,180 billion, an increase of ¥10 billion or 0.9% from the November forecast[8] - Net income attributable to Sony Group Corporation's stockholders is projected to be ¥920 billion, reflecting an increase of ¥40 billion or 4.5% from the previous forecast[8] - Adjusted EBITDA for the fiscal year is expected to be ¥1,770 billion, a decrease of ¥15 billion from the previous forecast[8] - Adjusted OIBDA for the three months ended December 31, 2023, was ¥628.3 billion, an increase of 11.9% from ¥561.5 billion in the same period of 2022[29] - Adjusted EBITDA for the three months ended December 31, 2023, reached ¥605.0 billion, up from ¥529.5 billion in 2022, reflecting a growth of 14.3%[31] - Net income attributable to Sony Group Corporation's stockholders for the three months ended December 31, 2023, was ¥363.9 billion, compared to ¥321.5 billion in 2022, an increase of 13.2%[31] - Net income attributable to Sony Group Corporation's stockholders for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, was ¥1,005.3 billion[42] - Adjusted EBITDA for the same fiscal year was ¥1,797.6 billion[42] Segment Performance - The Game & Network Services segment is expected to see sales of ¥4,150 billion, down from the November forecast of ¥4,360 billion, primarily due to lower hardware sales[14] - The Music segment's sales forecast has been increased to ¥1,570 billion, up from ¥1,560 billion, driven by favorable foreign exchange rates[14] - Financial services revenue is expected to rise to ¥1,300 billion, an increase from the November forecast of ¥1,210 billion, due to higher net gains on investments[14] - The Imaging & Sensing Solutions segment's sales are projected to remain unchanged from the November forecast, with expected sales of ¥1,590 billion[19] - The Game & Network Services segment reported an operating income of ¥86.1 billion for the three months ended December 31, 2023, down from ¥116.2 billion in 2022, a decline of 26%[29] - The Music segment's operating income increased to ¥76.1 billion in Q3 2023, compared to ¥63.0 billion in Q3 2022, representing a growth of 20.5%[29] - Imaging & Sensing Solutions segment's Adjusted OIBDA rose to ¥163.7 billion in Q3 2023, up 21.5% from ¥134.7 billion in Q3 2022[29] - The Financial Services segment's Adjusted OIBDA increased to ¥84.3 billion in Q3 2023, up from ¥53.8 billion in Q3 2022, a growth of 56.7%[29] - The Game & Network Services segment reported a total revenue of ¥1,444,427 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023, up by ¥197,878 million or 15.9% from ¥1,246,549 million in 2022[63] - The Imaging & Sensing Solutions segment achieved an operating income of ¥99,715 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023, an increase of ¥14,864 million or 17.5% compared to ¥84,851 million in 2022[65] - The Financial Services segment saw a substantial increase in customers' revenue, reaching ¥309,435 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023, up by ¥287,314 million or 129.9% from ¥22,121 million in 2022[63] Assets and Liabilities - Total current assets increased by ¥1,646.4 billion from March 31, 2023, to December 31, 2023, reaching ¥7,368.9 billion[52] - Total assets as of December 31, 2023, were ¥33,643.6 billion, an increase of ¥2,489.5 billion from March 31, 2023[54] - Total liabilities increased by ¥1,677.9 billion from March 31, 2023, to December 31, 2023, totaling ¥26,174.9 billion[54] - Sony's retained earnings rose by ¥682.9 billion from March 31, 2023, to December 31, 2023, reaching ¥5,775.4 billion[54] - Cash and cash equivalents decreased from ¥1,480.9 billion on March 31, 2023, to ¥2,019.1 billion on December 31, 2023, reflecting a change of ¥538.2 billion[52] - Total current liabilities rose from ¥5,290,837 million in March 2022 to ¥5,855,511 million in March 2023, an increase of about 10.7%[76] - Long-term debt increased from ¥470,498 million in March 2022 to ¥692,552 million in March 2023, a rise of about 47.0%[76] - Total liabilities increased from ¥19,053,619 million in March 2022 to ¥19,411,922 million in March 2023, reflecting a growth of about 1.9%[76] Cash Flow and Dividends - Net cash provided by operating activities for the nine months ended December 31, 2023, was ¥931,958 million, a significant increase from a net cash used of ¥81,623 million in the same period of 2022[61] - Cash flows from operating activities improved significantly, with net cash provided increasing from ¥(81,623) million in 2022 to ¥931,958 million in 2023[79] - The company declared dividends of ¥98,685 million for the nine months ended December 31, 2023, compared to ¥86,635 million in the same period of 2022, reflecting an increase of approximately 13.9%[62] - Dividends paid increased from ¥86,384 million in 2022 to ¥98,424 million in 2023, reflecting a commitment to returning value to shareholders[80] Future Outlook and Strategic Changes - Sony expects to record approximately 20 billion yen as operating income for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, following the transfer of shares of Sony Payment Services Inc.[87] - Sony has commenced preparations for a partial spin-off of Sony Financial Group Inc., which operates the Financial Services business, with plans for a share listing[88] - The Financial Services business will be presented separately as a discontinued operation prior to the execution of the spin-off, in accordance with IFRS 5[89] - The effect of the spin-off on Sony's results of operations and financial positions has not yet been determined[89] - Sony adopted IFRS 17 "Insurance Contracts" effective April 1, 2023, which will impact the recognition and measurement of insurance contracts going forward[81] Shareholder Information - Basic net income per share attributable to Sony Group Corporation's stockholders for the three months ended December 31, 2023, was ¥295.67, an increase of ¥35.39 or 13.5% from the previous year[55] - The weighted-average shares outstanding for diluted EPS computation for the three months ended December 31, 2023, was 1,234,358 thousand shares, a decrease from 1,238,413 thousand shares in the same period of 2022[84] - The weighted-average shares outstanding for basic EPS computation for the nine months ended December 31, 2023, was 1,232,879 thousand shares, a decrease from 1,236,176 thousand shares in the same period of 2022[84] - The effect of dilutive securities for the nine months ended December 31, 2023, included 3,922 thousand shares from stock options and other, compared to 3,632 thousand shares in the same period of 2022[84]

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D. C. 20549 FORM 6-K REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 For the month of November 2023 Commission File Number: 001-06439 SONY GROUP CORPORATION (Translation of registrant's name into English) 1-7-1 KONAN, MINATO-KU, TOKYO, 108-0075, JAPAN (Address of principal executive offices) The registrant files annual reports under cover of Form 20-F. Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files ...

Call Start: 03:00 January 1, 0000 4:13 AM ET Company Participants Conference Call Participants Unidentified Company Representative I would like to first introduce the speakers today, President, COO and CFO, Hiroki Totoki; and Senior Vice President in charge of the Corporate Planning Group DE&I promotion, also support Financial Service and Entertainment segment, Naomi Matsuoka; and then Senior Vice President in charge of Finance and IR, Sadahiko Hayakawa. So those 3 will present the Q1 FY 2023 consolidated f ...

307.0 364.9 253.0 +57.9 +2.1 +12.4 +5.6 -84.7 -34.7 -9.0 -3.6 (Reference) Q1 FY22 (IFRS 4) Q1 FY22 (IFRS 17) Financial Services Pictures I&SS G&NS ET&S Music Other* Q1 FY23 Impact of IFRS 17 Adoption (Financial Services) Significant decrease in OI at Sony Life ·(－) Recording of profit resulting from changes in interest rates related to variable life insurance in Q1 FY22 ·(－) Recording of gain from the sale of real estate in Q1 FY22 * Other: All other, corporate and elimination 2 | --- | --- | --- | |------- ...

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D. C. 20549 FORM 6-K REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 For the month of AUGUST 2023 Commission File Number: 001-06439 SONY GROUP CORPORATION (Translation of registrant's name into English) 1-7-1 KONAN, MINATO-KU, TOKYO, 108-0075, JAPAN (Address of principal executive offices) The registrant files annual reports under cover of Form 20-F. Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or ...