Sony to streamline smartphone, TV line-ups to cut costs

Despite producing some excellent hardware, it’s no secret Sony has been struggling to make ends meet across certain divisions. The company has now admitted as such, revealing plans to turn its TV and smartphone businesses around while continuing to grow its camera image sensors and the PlayStation brand.

The Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact were some of the longest-lasting smartphones of 2014 according to our extensive battery benchmark tables, but neither have managed to sell in significant numbers. Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai said earlier this year that smartphones are an important sector for the company, so it’s unlikely it will be sold off to a third party as with the VIAO laptop brand, but the number of new models may take a major hit in 2015 and beyond.

It’s a similar story for TVs; Sony is one of the major leaders when it comes to Ultra HD support, with a film studio producing 4K content and upscaling technology for existing 1080p video in the X9 TV range, but sales numbers have been lower than projected.

According to Reuters, Sony is aiming to turn a profit from its failing divisions, even if it means sales numbers slide by as much as 30 percent. Speaking at an investor conference, Sony’s head of mobile Hiroki Totoki said “We’re not aiming for size or market share but better profits.”

Another cost-cutting measure could be a reduction in the number of corporate sponsorships. According to sources speaking to Reuters, Sony isn’t planning to renew its FIFA football sponsorship contract next year.

With less than two months until CES, we shouldn’t have long to wait to see what Sony has planned for its TV division, but we may have to wait until Mobile World Congress in March to find out what will happen to the Xperia smartphone range.