REUTERS/Issei Kato/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Sony Group (6758.T) is increasing its focus on the virtual production business where it is seeing market-beating growth, a company executive said, riding on the strength of the Japanese entertainment conglomerate's technology.
The business, which offers virtual production facilities to filmmakers and broadcasters, involves using a wall of light-emitting diode (LED) panels displaying images - a science-fiction landscape or a downtown cityscape - that are integrated into the scene as it is shot.
"It's because we have the hardware that we can recreate in the virtual world," Yasuharu Nomura, Sony's head of virtual production, said in an interview.
Sony says its virtual production business is growing by around 35% annually, faster than the overall market, with an increasing proportion of sales expected to come from services.
Virtual production technology gained attention after its use in science-fiction show "The Mandalorian" from Walt Disney (DIS.N), which used in-house visual effects firm Industrial Light & Magic.
Persons:
Issei Kato, Yasuharu Nomura, Walt Disney, Kota Ezawa, Sam Nussey, Miho Uranaka, Muralikumar
Organizations:
Sony, REUTERS, Rights, Sony Group, Hollywood, Epic Games, Citigroup, Thomson
Locations:
Tokyo, Japan