Global electronics juggernaut Sony Group has decided it will not exhibit at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in January, marking the first time in six decades that the company has not participated in the trade conference.
Neither Sony nor its affiliates plan to exhibit at the event, a company spokesperson confirmed. Sony products were first displayed at the inaugural conference in 1967, giving the company a nearly 60-year history with the trade show.
Bloomberg was the first to report the decision on Monday.
“We continuously and strategically evaluate our approach to events and communications based on the needs and priorities of our diverse business,” Sony said in a statement.
The company said its focus continues to evolve toward entertainment, intellectual property and technology that supports creators. Sony has increasingly centered its business around movies, video games and other content-driven operations, while moving away from some of its legacy consumer electronics exposure.
Sony did not have its own booth at CES earlier this year, though its joint venture with Honda Motor Co. displayed the Afeela electric vehicle. That joint venture has since been scrapped.
The decision also follows Sony’s move this year to spin out its legacy television business. China’s TCL acquired a 51 percent controlling stake in Sony’s home entertainment division, which includes its famed Bravia televisions, soundbars and home audio equipment. Sony retained a 49 percent minority stake in the joint venture, which operates under the Bravia name.
CES remains one of the world’s largest technology trade shows, spanning more than 2.6 million net square feet of exhibit space across the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Venetian Hotel and Resort and the C Space Campus.
The most recent event drew more than 148,000 attendees, including 55,000 international attendees from more than 140 countries.
