Sony 2000 Annual Report Download - page 31

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SONY CORPORATION ANNUAL REPORT 2000
29
This new business unit supervises computer-generated imaging and digital production of
original content for motion pictures, television, and online users. It is charged with developing
new forms of interactive programming, supporting our drive to offer video downloading, and
delivering interactive television and other digital services over emerging broadband networks.
During the year under review, we brought new interactive services, online content, and
digital distribution to life. We launched interactive versions of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopa rdy!
and original interactive programming on our cable channel Game Show Network.
MOTION PICTURE & HOME VIDEO PERFORMANCE
Columbia Pictures delivered box office hits with Big Daddy, Stua rt Little, and Blue Strea k, and
our films received a total of nine Academy Award® nominations. Our movies captured two
Oscars® – Best Supporting Actress for Angelina Jolie in Columbia Pictures’ Girl, Interrupted, and
Best Foreign Film for Sony Pictures Classics’ All About My Mother.
Big Da ddy and Blue Strea k drove strong home video sales, while prior-year films I Still Know
Wha t You Did Last Summer, The Ma sk of Zorro, and Cruel Intentions performed well in different
markets and formats. We also continued to leverage our film library of nearly 4,000 titles.
SPE’s Screen Gems brand, which produces low-budget, targeted films, delivered a critical
and financial success with its first release, Arlington Roa d.
With VHS transitioning to DVD, Columbia TriStar Home Video increased revenues in a chal-
lenging market environment. During the year under review, SPE issued more than 400 DVD
titles and shipped more than 17 million units worldwide.
Our foreign-language productions showed strength, with Not One Less, a Chinese-language
film, winning the Venice Film Festival Best Picture honors.
CONTINUED TELEVISION LEADERSHIP
Columbia TriStar Television reported strong earnings. Our game shows Wheel of Fortune and
Jeopa rdy! and soap operas Da ys of Our Lives and The Young & The Restless remained among the
top-ranked shows in their categories.
We remain the leading independent supplier in North America, with 33 programs – includ-
ing 20 network prime-time series, among them Fa mily La w.
We increased our focus on international channel operations, and for the first time we pro-
duced more programming hours internationally than we did in North America. The Japanese
animation channel ANIMAX and action channel AXN were highly popular on the SKY PerfecTV!
platform, and SET India ranked as India’s leading cable channel.
With more than 35,000 episodes of 400 television series and 40,000 game show episodes,
Columbia TriStar Television’s library is the industry’s largest and continues to deliver strong
revenues for SPE.