The financial year 2017 (ending 31 March 2018) has been a good one for Sony, as the company records profits reaching $6.7 billion from revenues worth $78.1bn-- in good part thanks to the success of the PlayStation 4.

PS4 sales for fiscal 2017 total 19 million units, a decline from the 20m sold in fiscal 2016. However, one has to keep in mind the PS4 is fast approaching its 5th birthday, and such sales still outnumber those of other game consoles. The Nintendo Switch comes closest, with 17.79m units sold since March 2017. As for lifetime sales, the global PS4 install base totals 76m, far beyond the 30-50m lifetime sales estimate of Xbox hardware sales (Microsoft does not detail actual Xbox numbers in its financial reports).

According to Futuresource Consulting, global spending on consumer entertainment content (video, games and music) remains on the up-- and is set to reach $439 billion by 2021, a 17% increase from 2017.

"As expected, TV and Video account for the lion's share of this consumer spend," the analyst says. "However, music has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years and continued innovations within gaming means that both markets are impacting on consumers' spending habits, with smartphones a key facilitator of this tearing up of the entertainment market rulebook."

Harman Professional Solutions opens an Experience Centre in London-- a 2400-square-metre facility serving as EMEA region HQ complete with demonstrations of the various brands owned by the company.

“The opening of the experience center in London represents a major investment in the EMEA region, enabling us to deepen relationships with our customers and greatly expand our presence across critical markets,” Harman EMEA VP Chris Smith says. “Not only will the facility offer customers the opportunity to experience Harman innovation firsthand, it provides our staff with a state-of-the-art headquarters that will allow us to pursue new opportunities with greater speed and efficiency.”

Taiwan's Foxconn plans to buy into the American CE industry as it pays $866 million for Belkin International, owner of the Linksys, Phyn and Wemo brands, through subsidiary Foxconn Interconnect Technology (FIT).

California-based Belkin is best known as a maker of consumer networking and smart home hardware. Post-acquisition it becomes a Foxconn subsidiary, with all brands preserved. Founder and CEO Chet Pipkin remains head of the subsidiary, and Foxconn says it will increase Belkin R&D spending to help it grow further.

According to a SmarterHQ survey there is a neat split between the two big smart assistants-- 44.4% of respondents own an Amazon Alexa device, while 43.7% own a Google Home product. The rest (11.9%) use the Apple HomePod.

The survey covers the omnichannel shopping habits of 1000 adults in the US. It shows consumers are increasingly distracted as they hop from channel to channel, and smart assistants only add to the issue. As a result, it is increasingly difficult to retain customer loyalty, even as brick-and-mortar stores remain the most popular place to shop.

“Consumers view all the channels they shop on-- online, in-store, through social media, or via assistant home devices-- as a single point-of-contact with a brand, yet many retailers still treat these channels as disparate systems that aren’t connected,” SmarterHQ says. “This puts pressure on marketers to make the brand experience a consistent one, no matter the channel. Without a marketing strategy that includes customer identity resolution, brands risk losing buyers to the more targeted and personalised campaigns of their competitors.”

CEDIA makes it easier for members to obtain an ECS Home Technology Integrator card as it extends availability to CEDIA Network and Designer qualifications as a recognised related discipline.

Previously installers could only apply for an ECS card if they had a current Technical Certification.

“An ECS card is essential for anyone working in our industry for many reasons” CEDIA says. “It not only confirms that the cardholder meets the required level of health and safety awareness, but it also displays their industry qualification.  The card is also a valid identification for gaining access to a construction site or customers’ property. By expanding the card to cover the Networking and Designer certifications, we are hoping to facilitate site access to more industry professionals and further raise the public profile of CEDIA certifications.”