Sony Expanding PlayStation Network in Spring '10

Sony plans to build upon its popular PlayStation Network and provide content and services to many Sony products

Amidst the restructuring of upper management and a reassessment of where the company has "missed the target" over the last few years, Sony is setting its sights for Spring 2010. While specific details were not offered, the company plans to roll out a new service that may ultimately link all of its products together, whether it's the PlayStation 3 console, HDTVs, or other multimedia devices. Many gamers already experience the service to some extent via the PlayStation Network, however the current content distribution system--now offering movies and television shows in addition to new and older PlayStation games--will serve as a template to the new service.

Unlike its rivals, Sony has the upper hand, as the current PlayStation Network already has a user-base of 23 million. In addition, the PlayStation Network offers a few additional features such as the virtual world called PlayStation Home, and Life with PlayStation, a service that offers news feeds, weather, and camera feeds from around the world. While the former would likely stay with the PlayStation 3 platform, Life would be ideal for HDTVs and Sony mobile devices. The service would be a huge plus in the TV market where Sony still remains strong, but could lose footing if a competitor offers more than just hardware.

"We can no longer afford to only offer great TVs. Otherwise, we set the stage for someone to become the Google of the TV," said Robert Wiesenthal, the head of strategy for Sony's entertainment business, told CNN Money.

Sony's Kazuo Hirai, who oversees the company's networked-products and services group, said that the new distribution service would actually overlay the backbone of the PlayStation Network, but will be "broader and more open." Not only would brand loyalists be rewarded with discounts and premium services, but the new service would make many tasks easier, such as video editing, transferring camera images to a TV, and sharing content with friends (the word "storage" was mentioned although no specifics were provided).

On a financial standpoint, Sony is in a position to make acquisitions that will "accelerate the effort" although no additional details were provided. Naturally, the company is remaining somewhat hush hush over the entire project, and understandably so, however Hirai seemed confidant that the first glimpse of the new service will appear by next spring. "It's now a matter of what all the services need to look like for each device, and coming up with a rollout plan," he said. "It's like city planning here, and we can start small. We don't need to build New York City overnight."