History of Sony in Timeline

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate based in Tokyo. Its diverse operations span electronics, imaging and sensing, film, music, and video games. Sony is a major player in the entertainment and technology industries, known for its innovation and global reach.

May 1946: Establishment of Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo

On May 7, 1946, Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita established a company called Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo (Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation).

1946: Sony Founded as Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo K.K.

In 1946, Sony was founded as Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo K.K. by Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita. Initially, the company was an electronics firm.

1955: Introduction of TR-63 radio

In 1955, Sony's TR-63 radio "cracked open the U.S. market and launched the new industry of consumer microelectronics."

1955: The first Sony-branded product appeared.

The first Sony-branded product, the TR-55 transistor radio, appeared in 1955.

January 1958: Company Name Change to Sony

In January 1958, the company name changed to Sony.

1958: Company Name Changed to Sony Corporation

In 1958, Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo K.K. adopted the name Sony Corporation. This marked a significant step in the company's history.

1958: Company Renamed to Sony

In 1958, Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo changed its name to "Sony".

1959: Production of World's First All-Transistor Television

In 1959, Sony produced the TV8-301, the world's first all-transistor television.

1960: Akio Morita Founded Sony Corporation of America

In 1960, Sony co-founder Akio Morita founded Sony Corporation of America.

1961: Listed on the New York Stock Exchange

Since 1961, Sony maintains American depositary receipts on the New York Stock Exchange.

1968: Market Growth of Portable Transistor Radios

By the end of 1968, the portable transistor radio industry had grown to 5 million units, up from an estimated 100,000 units in 1955.

1968: Introduction of Trinitron Brand

In 1968, Sony introduced the Trinitron brand name for its lines of aperture grille cathode-ray tube televisions and later, computer monitors.

1971: Masaru Ibuka handed the position of president over to Akio Morita

In 1971, Masaru Ibuka handed the position of president over to his co-founder Akio Morita.

1971: Introduction of U-matic Format

In 1971, Sony introduced U-matic, the world's first videocassette format. The standard was unpopular for domestic use due to the high price.

1975: Launch of Betamax Format

In 1975, Sony launched the Betamax format.

1977: Demonstration of Optical Digital Audio Disc

In 1977, Sony demonstrated an optical digital audio disc, marking an early step in the development of compact disc technology.

1979: Life Insurance Business Launched

In 1979, Sony began a life insurance company, marking one of its many ventures into peripheral businesses.

1979: Release of the First Walkman

In 1979, Sony released the world's first portable music player, the Walkman, bundled with MDL-3L2 headphones, revolutionizing music listening habits.

1981: Demonstration of Sony Mavica Prototype

In 1981, Sony demonstrated a prototype of the Sony Mavica, an early electronic camera.

1983: Joint Announcement of the Compact Disc (CD)

In 1983, Sony and Philips jointly announced the Compact Disc (CD), establishing a worldwide standard for digital audio storage technology.

1983: Introduction of 3.5-inch Floppy Disks

In 1983, Sony introduced 90 mm micro diskettes, better known as 3.5-inch floppy disks, aiming to replace the 5.25-inch floppy disks and establishing a dominant format in data storage.

1984: Launch of the Discman Series

In 1984, Sony launched the Discman series, expanding the Walkman brand to portable CD players, allowing users to play CDs on the go.

1985: Launch of Handycam Products and Video8 Format

In 1985, Sony launched their Handycam products and the Video8 format, which became popular in the consumer camcorder market.

1986: Launch of Write-Once Optical Discs (WO)

In 1986, Sony launched write-once optical discs (WO), around 125MB in size, specifically for archival data storage.

1987: Launch of Digital Audio Tape

In 1987 Sony launched the 4 mm DAT or Digital Audio Tape as a new digital audio tape standard.

1988: Start of Joint Project Between Nintendo and Sony

In 1988, Nintendo and Sony started a joint project to create a CD-ROM version of the Super Famicom.

1988: Purchase of CBS Records

In 1988, Norio Ohga went on to purchase CBS Records, greatly expanding Sony's media presence.

1988: Acquisition of Columbia Records

In 1988, Sony expanded its business beyond electronics by acquiring Columbia Records, marking a significant expansion into the music industry.

1988: Launch of Magneto-Optical Discs

In 1988, Sony launched magneto-optical discs, around 125MB in size, for archival data storage, further developing its optical storage technology.

1988: Release of Sony Mavica for Consumer Market

In 1988, Sony released the Sony Mavica for the consumer market, marking its entry into the electronic camera market.

1989: Purchase of Columbia Pictures

In 1989, Norio Ohga went on to purchase Columbia Pictures, greatly expanding Sony's media presence.

March 1991: Nintendo Denies Deal with Sony

In March 1991, Nintendo denied the existence of a deal with Sony to create a CD-ROM version of the Super Famicom.

June 1991: Sony Reveals "Play Station" at Consumer Electronics Show

In June 1991, at the Consumer Electronics Show, Sony revealed the "Play Station" (SNES-CD), a Super Famicom with a built-in CD-ROM drive, developed in collaboration with Nintendo.

May 1992: Official End of Nintendo and Sony Negotiations

In May 1992, negotiations between Nintendo and Sony officially ended. Nintendo offered Sony a "non-gaming role" which was rejected by Kutaragi.

June 1992: Decision to Retain the PlayStation Project

In June 1992, a meeting was held to decide the fate of the PlayStation project. Sony President Ohga decided to retain the project after Kutaragi unveiled a proprietary CD-ROM-based system with 3D graphics and reminded Ohga of the humiliation suffered from Nintendo.

1992: Introduction of MiniDisc Format

In 1992, Sony introduced the MiniDisc format as an alternative to Philips DCC and as a successor to the Compact Cassette.

1993: Introduction of SDDS (Sony Dynamic Digital Sound)

In 1993, Sony introduced SDDS (Sony Dynamic Digital Sound), a proprietary motion picture digital audio format with eight channels (7.1), challenging Dolby Digital 5.1. However, SDDS was ultimately overshadowed by DTS and Dolby Digital standards. SDDS was intended solely for theatre use.

1994: Morita served as chairman until 1994

Akio Morita served as chairman until 1994, overseeing Sony's rise as a global brand recognized for innovation in consumer electronics.

1994: Launch of the PlayStation

In 1994, Sony entered the home video game console market with the launch of the PlayStation.

1996: Introduction of the First Cyber-shot

In 1996, Sony introduced the first Cyber-shot digital camera, expanding its presence in the digital photography market.

1996: Patent for Trinitron held until 1996.

Sony held a patent for its proprietary Trinitron until 1996.

1997: Introduction of DVD Format

In 1997, the DVD format was introduced after Philips and Sony abandoned their MultiMedia Compact Disc (MMCD) format and agreed upon Toshiba's Super Density Disc (SD) format with one modification, unifying the high-density optical storage standards.

1998: Launch of Memory Stick Format

In 1998, Sony launched the Memory Stick format, flash memory cards for use in Sony digital cameras and portable music players. It saw little support outside of Sony's own products, with Secure Digital cards (SD) gaining greater popularity.

1999: Introduction of Portable Digital Audio Players

In 1999, Sony introduced its first portable digital audio players; one used Memory Stick flash storage and the other was a smaller pen-sized player with embedded flash storage, both using Sony's OpenMG copyright protection technology and PC software for music transfer.

2004: Release of Hi-MD Format

In 2004, Sony built upon the MiniDisc format by releasing Hi-MD, which allows playback and recording of audio on newly introduced 1 GB Hi-MD discs in addition to playback and recording on regular MiniDiscs. Hi-MD also allows the storage of computer files such as documents, videos and photos.

2004: Introduction of Triluminos Display

In 2004, Sony introduced the Triluminos Display, the company's proprietary color reproduction enhancing technology, featured in the world's first LED-backlit LCD televisions.

2004: Network Walkman Line Supports MP3 Natively

Until late 2004, Sony's Network Walkman line of digital portable music players did not support the MP3 standard natively.

Sony MZ-DN430PSBLK Psyc MiniDisc Network Walkman (Black)

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2005: Decline in Digital Camera Market Share

By 2005, Sony's market share of the digital camera market had fallen from a high of 20% to 9%.

2005: Howard Stringer Replaced Nobuyuki Idei as CEO

In 2005, Howard Stringer replaced Nobuyuki Idei as chief executive officer, marking the first time that a foreigner had run a major Japanese electronics firm.

2005: Discontinuation of Trinitron Computer Monitors

In 2005, Sony discontinued its series of Trinitron computer monitors, signaling a shift in display technology.

2005: Introduction of BRAVIA Brand

In summer 2005, Sony introduced the BRAVIA brand for its LCD TVs, replacing the LCD WEGA name. BRAVIA is used for high-definition LCD televisions, projection TVs, front projectors, home cinemas, and the BRAVIA home theatre range. All Sony high-definition flat-panel LCD televisions in North America have carried the BRAVIA logo since 2005.

2006: Acquisition of Konica Minolta's Camera Business

In 2006, Sony entered the market for digital single-lens reflex cameras by acquiring the camera business of Konica Minolta, rebranding the camera line as its Alpha line.

2006: Loss of Market Share in Global Television Market

In 2006, Sony lost its decades-long No.1 market share in the global television market.

2006: First Blu-ray Players Commercially Available

In 2006, the first Blu-ray players became commercially available. The format emerged as the standard for HD media over the competing format, Toshiba's HD DVD, after a two-year-long high-definition optical disc format war.

November 2007: Release of the Sony XEL-1 OLED Television

In November 2007, Sony released the Sony XEL-1, the first OLED television, which was manufactured for two years.

2007: Discontinuation of Trinitron-Based Television Sets in the U.S.

In early 2007, Sony discontinued the last Trinitron-based television set in the U.S., marking the end of Sony's analog television sets and monitors.

July 2009: Joint Venture Agreement Amendment

In July 2009, Sony and Sharp executed a joint venture agreement for the establishment and operation of Sharp Display Products Corporation (SDP) to produce and sell large-sized LCD panels and modules.

2009: Introduction of "make.believe" Slogan

In 2009, Sony introduced a slogan known as "make.believe" in a bid to provide a unified brand for its global operations.

2010: Sony Ends Production of 3.5" Floppy Disks

In 2010, Sony decided to pull the plug on the 3.5" floppy disk format, as it had become obsolete and was replaced by newer media formats, despite holding a significant market share of over 70 percent.

April 2011: Amendment to Joint Venture Agreement

In April 2011, Sony and Sharp amended the joint venture agreement originally executed in July 2009 for the establishment and operation of Sharp Display Products Corporation (SDP).

December 2011: Sony Sells Stake in LCD Joint Venture with Samsung Electronics

In December 2011, Sony agreed to sell its stake in an LCD joint venture with Samsung Electronics (S-LCD) for approximately $940 million as part of its restructuring efforts.

March 2012: Further Amendment of Joint Venture Agreement with Sharp

On March 28, 2012, Sony and Sharp announced further amendments to the joint venture agreement for Sharp Display Products Corporation (SDP), but the agreement was eventually terminated.

2012: Sony's Television Business Unprofitable

As of 2012, Sony was the third-largest maker of televisions in the world, but the business unit had been unprofitable for eight consecutive years.

2012: Kazuo Hirai Promoted to President and CEO

In 2012, Kazuo Hirai was promoted to president and CEO, replacing Stringer. Shortly thereafter, Hirai outlined his company-wide initiative, named "One Sony".

2012: Unveiling of Crystal LED Display Prototype

In 2012, Sony revealed a prototype of an ultrafine RGB LED display, which it calls the Crystal LED Display.

2013: Demonstration of First 4K OLED Television

In 2013, Sony demonstrated the first 4K OLED television, pushing the boundaries of display technology.

2013: Release of Televisions with Improved Triluminos Technology

In 2013, Sony released a new line of televisions with an improved version of the Triluminos Display technology, which incorporated quantum dots in the backlight system, marking the first commercial use of quantum dots.

February 2014: Sale of Vaio PC Division and TV Division Spin-off

In February 2014, Sony announced the sale of its Vaio PC division to a new corporation and spun off its TV division into its own corporation.

May 2014: Joint Ventures with Shanghai Oriental Pearl Group

In May 2014, the company announced it was forming two joint ventures with Shanghai Oriental Pearl Group to manufacture and market Sony's PlayStation game consoles and associated software in China.

2015: Introduction of LDAC Audio Coding Technology

In 2015, Sony introduced LDAC, an audio coding technology for streaming high-resolution audio over Bluetooth at up to 990 kbit/s at 32 bit/96 kHz. Sony also contributed it to the Android Open Source Project, starting with Android 8.0 "Oreo", allowing OEMs to integrate the standard. However, the decoder library is proprietary, requiring licenses for receiving devices.

2015: Purchase of Toshiba's Image Sensor Business

In 2015, Sony purchased Toshiba's image sensor business.

December 2016: Consideration of U.S. Operations Restructuring

In December 2016, Sony considered restructuring its U.S. operations by merging its TV & film business, Sony Pictures Entertainment, with its gaming business, Sony Interactive Entertainment.

2016: Stopping Production of Remaining 1/2-inch Video Tape Recorders

In 2016 Sony announced it was stopping production of all remaining 1/2-inch video tape recorders and players, including the Digital Betacam format.

2017: Launch of OLED Televisions under BRAVIA Brand

In 2017, Sony launched OLED televisions under the BRAVIA brand, expanding its television product line.

2017: Sale of Lithium-ion Battery Business

In 2017, Sony sold its lithium-ion battery business to Murata Manufacturing.

2017: Consideration of U.S. Operations Restructuring

In 2017, Sony was set to make a final decision on the possibility of the merger of the TV, film, & gaming businesses by the end of its fiscal year.

September 2019: LDAC Receives Hi-Res Audio Wireless Certification

On September 17, 2019, LDAC was certified by the Japan Audio Society (JAS) with their Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification. LDAC and LHDC are currently the only codecs with this certification.

2019: Launch of ELTRES LPWAN Standard

In 2019, Sony launched ELTRES, the company's proprietary low-power wide-area wireless communication (LPWAN) standard.

2019: Merger of Mobile, TV and Camera Businesses

In 2019, Sony merged its mobile, TV and camera businesses.

2019: Sony Ranked 13th for Patent Applications

In 2019, Sony was ranked 13th in the world for the number of patent applications published under the PCT System, with 1,566 applications.

April 2020: Establishment of Sony Electronics Corporation

On April 1, 2020, Sony Electronics Corporation was established as an intermediate holding company to own and oversee its electronics and IT solutions businesses.

May 2020: Announcement of Name Change to Sony Group Corporation

On 19 May 2020, the company announced that it would change its name to Sony Group Corporation as of 1 April 2021.

2020: Market Share in Global Image Sensor Market

As of 2020, Sony holds a 55% share of the global image sensor market, making it the largest image sensor manufacturer.

2020: Sony's Business Segments Organized

As of 2020, Sony is organized into the following business segments: Game & Network Services (G&NS), Music, Pictures, Electronics Products & Solutions (EP&S), Imaging & Sensing Solutions (I&SS), Financial Services, and Others.

2020: Sony's Patent Applications Published

In 2020, 1,793 patent applications were published by Sony under the PCT System.

April 2021: Renaming and Absorption of Entities

On April 1, 2021, Sony Corporation was renamed Sony Group Corporation. On the same day, Sony Mobile Communications Inc. absorbed Sony Electronics Corporation, Sony Imaging Products & Solutions Inc., and Sony Home Entertainment & Sound Products Inc. and changed its trade name to Sony Corporation.

April 2021: Sony Electronics Corporation Renamed

On April 1, 2021, Sony Electronics Corporation was renamed Sony Corporation, marking it as the electronics business unit of the Sony Group.

April 2021: Change Name to Sony Group Corporation

On the same day the company announced that it would change its name to Sony Group Corporation as of 1 April 2021.

2021: Ranked on the Fortune Global 500

As of 2021, Sony ranked 88th on the Fortune Global 500.

2021: Sony Ranked 9th for Patent Applications

In 2021, the WIPO's annual review of the World Intellectual Property Indicators report ranked Sony as ninth in the world for the number of patent applications published under the PCT System.

2021: Renamed Sony Group Corporation

In 2021, the company was renamed Sony Group Corporation as it transitioned into a holding company structure.

2023: Ranked on the Forbes Global 2000 list.

As of 2023, Sony ranked 57th on the Forbes Global 2000 list.

2025: Walkman Included in Museum of Modern Art Exhibition

In 2025, a 1979 TPS-L2 cassette Walkman was included in Pirouette: Turning Points in Design, an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, highlighting pivotal moments in design history.