Sony To Challenge Apple In TV, Movie Downloads
Two years after taking over the helm of Sony Corp., Chief Executive Howard Stringer is quietly preparing a big move to expand the company and challenge rival Apple Inc. in an area that has thus far promised more than it has delivered: video-downloading services. People familiar with the situation say Mr. Stringer is planning to use Sony's technology-packed PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable videogame machines, along with its Bravia high-definition television sets, to develop products and services to let users download television shows and movies, similar to the way they download music using Apple's iTunes store and iPods. A Sony spokesman declined to comment on the company's strategy. As Internet connections have become faster, analysts have expected the next big potential market to be in downloading movies and television shows. Some analysts believe it could be significantly larger than the digital music market. Park Associates, a market-research and consulting firm, e...