Sony plans to consolidate its operations and sharpen the focus of its year-old online network, The Station, with the formation of a unit focused solely on Internet entertainment projects.
Company execs hope that Sony Online Entertainment will help capitalize on the recognition of a game-show library that includes Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, both of which are already on The Station.
Eventually, Sony plans to add new games and begin charging user fees for premium areas. A new addition slated for this year is based on that recently resuscitated 1970s television artifact, The Dating Game. Multi-player versions of Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, potentially with user fees, are also planned.
Lisa Simpson, president of the new unit, declined to say whether The Station was profitable yet, but said the creation of a separate business unit indicated that Sony "absolutely expected" to profit, and not simply to use The Station as a marketing and promotion tool.
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"Pocket Monsters" return: The Japanese television cartoon that reportedly touched off spasmodic reactions among hundreds of kids and even a few adults will return to the airwaves as early as 16 April.
TV Tokyo's president told a news conference today that the top-rated Pocket Monsters would return after new guidelines on animation programs are announced on 8 April. Yutaka Ichiki added that TV Tokyo will air a special program on research into the cause of the adverse reactions and in-house safety standards on animation programs before it resumes broadcasts of Pocket Monsters.(3.30.98)
