Mike Fidler Appointed Senior Vice President, Blu-ray Disc Group, Sony Corporation of America

Mike Fidler has been named Senior Vice President, Blu-ray Disc Group, Sony Corporation of America (SCA), it was announced today by Nicole Seligman, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, SCA.

In his new role, Mr. Fidler will be responsible for promoting the Blu-ray format to relevant industries including motion picture studios, music labels, consumer electronics manufacturers, optical replication and post-production houses. Mr. Fidler will also establish a Blu-ray Information Office, which will serve to educate and disseminate information about the format. He will report to Ms. Seligman and be based in Los Angeles.

"Blu-ray technology will have a great impact on the future of the electronics and entertainment industries, and I am pleased that Mike will be representing us with these groups," said Ms. Seligman. "He has the knowledge, experience, and leadership skills necessary to promote this format successfully."

Mr. Fidler has worked for Sony for six years, serving most recently as Senior Vice President of the Digital Platform Division of America at Sony Electronics Inc. where he was responsible for directing the design and engineering of Sony's Digital Media products, including set-top boxes for consumers and cable operators, DSS satellite receivers, and digital network recorders.

Prior to that position, Mr. Fidler led Sony's efforts in the Home Video/Digital Media Marketing area. In this position, he directed all of Sony Electronics Home Entertainment marketing, including business and product planning, and retail communications. Mr. Fidler also worked closely with other divisions to help orchestrate the corporation's efforts in hardware, software replication and production, and he was instrumental in helping Sony establish and maintain its leadership position in the DVD and digital media markets. In addition, Mr. Fidler played a key role in expanding the awareness of optical media by promoting its benefits to the major motion picture studios. He was also a founding member and Vice President of the DVD Entertainment Group, an industry-funded nonprofit organization that provides updated information about DVD to media and retailers.

Before joining Sony, Mr. Fidler held the positions of Senior Vice President of New Technologies and Senior Vice President of Marketing at Pioneer Electronics.

Over the years, Mr. Fidler has served on various committees established by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) that focused on providing the marketing support necessary for launching new technology products.

About the Blu-ray Disc

The Blu-ray Disc uses blue-violet laser to achieve over two hour digital high definition video recording on a 12cm diameter CD/DVD size phase change optical disc. The basic specifications for the Blu-ray Disc have been established by: Hitachi Ltd., LG Electronics Inc., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Pioneer Corporation, Royal Philips Electronics, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Sharp Corporation, Sony Corporation, and Thomson Multimedia.

About Sony Corporation of America

Sony Corporation of America, based in New York City, is the U.S. subsidiary of Sony Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo. Sony is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, communications and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Its music, motion picture, television, computer entertainment, and online businesses make Sony one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world. Sony's principal U.S. businesses include Sony Electronics Inc., Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment Inc., and Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of over $56.9 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2002, and it employs 168,000 people worldwide. Sony Corporation of America recorded over $18.5 billion in sales in the U.S. for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2002. Sony Corporation of America's homepage is: http://www.sony.com/SCA/index.html

SOURCE: Sony Corporation of America

CONTACT: Lisa Gephardt of Sony Corporation of America, +1-212-833-6826,
lisa_gephardt@sonyusa.com

Web site: http://www.sony.com/