Technology Jul. 01, 2009 - 08:39AM JST ( 0 )

TOKYO —

Sony Corp. group Internet service company So-net Entertainment Corp. will remove DeNA Co., which operates major cellular phone Internet sites, from its list of equity-method affiliates as of July 1. The move coincides with the scheduled departure at month’s end of a director So-net sent to DeNA, and the subsequent loss of its influence in the affiliate’s operations. So-net will remain the top shareholder, with its stake unchanged at 16.9 percent.

DeNA added slightly more than 1.3 billion yen (US$13.5 million) to So-net’s consolidated profit in the year ended March 31. For the current year, So-net’s projection as of May 12 shows a 17 percent increase in group pretax profit to 7.8 billion yen (US$82 million). This figure is believed to have already excluded any profit contribution from DeNA.

JCN