Sony

Sony Group Corporation (ソニーグループ株式会社, Sonī, SOH-nee), formerly known as Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo K.K. (東京通信工業株式会社, Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation) and Sony Corporation (ソニー株式会社), commonly known as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group comprises entities such as Sony Corporation, Sony Semiconductor Solutions, Sony Entertainment (including Sony Pictures and Sony Music Group), Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Financial Group, and others. Sony was established in 1946 as Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo by Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita. This electronics company, known for creating products such as the transistor radio TR-55, the home video tape recorder CV-2000, the portable audio player Walkman, and the compact disc player CDP-101, embarked on diverse business ventures. In 1988, Sony acquired CBS Records, and in 1989, it acquired Columbia Pictures. The company also introduced the home video game console PlayStation in 1994, which was the first of the eponymous brand. In Japan, Sony expanded into the financial sector. In 2021, Sony transformed into a holding company, handing over the name Sony Corporation to its subsidiary as the electronics company. Sony, with its 55 percent market share in the image sensor market, is the largest manufacturer of image sensors, the second largest camera manufacturer, and is among the semiconductor sales leaders. It is the world's largest player in the premium TV market for a television of at least 55 inches (140 centimeters) with a price higher than $2,500 as well as second largest TV brand by market share and, as of 2020, the third largest television manufacturer in the world by annual sales figures. Although not being a part of any traditional keiretsu, Sony has a weak tie to the Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG), which traces its roots to the Mitsui zaibatsu. This connection dates back to the 1950s when it was the only bank the company dealt with. Sony is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (in which it is a constituent of the Nikkei 225 and TOPIX Core30 indeces) with an additional listing in the form of American depositary receipts listed in the New York Stock Exchange (traded since 1961, making it one of the oldest Japanese company to be listed on an American exchange), and was ranked 88th on the 2021 Fortune Global 500 list. In 2023, the company was ranked 57th in the Forbes Global 2000.

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