Sony Group Corp. is downsizing its consumer electronics business while clarifying its shift toward the entertainment sector, including games and music. On February 9, the company announced it would stop shipping all models of Blu-ray disc recorders. Last month, it also revealed plans to spin off its television business, signaling rapid restructuring.
Sony Group Corp. has been steadily reducing its consumer electronics operations while emphasizing a pivot to entertainment, encompassing games and music. This restructuring gained momentum after Hiroki Totoki, who became president in 2023, assumed the role of chief executive officer in April 2025.
On February 9, the company stated on its official website that it would cease shipments of all Blu-ray disc recorder models, with no successor models planned. "We will stop shipping all models," the announcement read. Blu-ray discs once thrived, prevailing over Toshiba's HD DVDs in the 2000s with support from U.S. studios like Warner Bros. Yet, the rise of video streaming and high-capacity storage has eroded demand, leading to the discontinuation of recording Blu-ray disc production in February 2025.
The overhaul extends to the television segment. In January, Sony announced it would separate its Bravia television business into a joint venture with China's TCL Electronics Holdings Ltd., where TCL holds a 51% stake. Sales in the television business for the fiscal year ending March 2025 totaled ¥564.1 billion, a 40% drop from two decades prior, driven by competition from low-cost Chinese and Korean rivals.
Meanwhile, Sony is bolstering its entertainment portfolio. In 2025, it invested tens of billions of yen in Kadokawa Corp. and Bandai Namco Holdings Inc., both rich in intellectual properties, and acquired Peanuts Worldwide LLC as a consolidated subsidiary, managing the Snoopy franchise. Entertainment-related sales rose from about 30% of total revenue in the fiscal year ended March 2015 to around 60% in the year ending March 2025.
Waseda University Prof. Atsushi Osanai, an electronics industry expert, noted, "Even if it’s no longer in the form of consumer products, Sony will retain the technology necessary for entertainment." The company plans to advance developments in video devices and image sensors, areas where it maintains competitiveness and synergy with entertainment.
