Press Association
Sunday 12th February 2012
Sony will go head-to-head with Apple's iTunes this year with the UK launch of Qriocity, its new video and music streaming service.
Announcing the subscription service at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, the Japanese electronics giant said it will offer access to millions of songs and high-definition films.
Qriocity - pronounced curiosity - is already available in the US, but will be expanded for UK, French, German, Italian and Spanish markets this autumn.
It will be available through all web-enabled Sony products, including the PlayStation 3 (PS3) games console, Sony Bravia TVs or VAIO laptops. However, over time Sony said it could be opened up to third-party developers.
Unlike Apple's iTunes, where users download files to their music player, Qriocity is cloud-based, which means customers stream the media through the internet in a similar way to the BBC's iPlayer or Spotify music services.
Films from major Hollywood studios will be available to rent with unlimited viewing over a set time period and Qriocity's Music Unlimited service will offer millions of songs, learning its users' tastes and making recommendations in a similar way to Last.fm.
Sony's potential market is large, with around 50 million users already accessing its PlayStation Network through the PS3 games console. However, it still has some way to go before it matches Apple's iTunes, which celebrated its 10 billionth download earlier this year.
Video and TV on demand services are set to grow rapidly over the next year, with online retailer Amazon expected to play its hand soon.
Fujio Nishida, head of Sony's Networked Products and Services Group, said: "We are excited to offer our customers high-quality, cloud-based entertainment experiences across many of Sony's network-enabled devices."
