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Sony ( SONY ) cites success of "Demon Slayer" movie
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Sold 3.9 million PlayStation 5 units in second quarter
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To spend up to 100 billion yen on repurchasing shares
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Shares jump 6% following announcement
(Adds details)
By Sam Nussey
TOKYO, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Sony ( SONY ) raised its
operating profit forecast for the year ending March 2026 by 8%
to 1.43 trillion yen ($9.48 billion) on Tuesday, citing a
smaller-than-expected impact from U.S. tariffs and the strength
of its entertainment and chips businesses.
Operating profit in the July-September quarter climbed 10%
to 429 billion yen after its music unit, which includes anime,
and chips businesses recorded higher sales.
Sony ( SONY ) cited the success of animated movie "Demon Slayer:
Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle" as a key contributor.
The Japanese conglomerate was once best known for household
electronics but has become an entertainment powerhouse and is
banking on the growth of anime.
However, profit at Sony's ( SONY ) games business fell in the second
quarter as the company booked impairment losses related to the
"Destiny 2" video game.
Sony ( SONY ) sold 3.9 million units of its PlayStation 5, which
launched in 2020, during the quarter in a slight increase from
the same period a year earlier.
Take-Two Interactive said last week it has delayed
the release of "Grand Theft Auto VI" for a second time to
November next year. The highly anticipated title is expected to
boost Sony's ( SONY ) gaming business.
Nintendo last week hiked its annual sales forecast for the
Switch 2 to 19 million units as consumers flock to the gaming
device which launched in June.
Sony ( SONY ), a leading manufacturer of image sensors used in
smartphones, cited sales of larger sensors as boosting its chips
unit during the quarter.
The company said it would buy back up to 35 million shares
for some 100 billion yen. Sony's ( SONY ) shares climbed 6% following the
earnings announcement.
($1 = 150.7800 yen)