Sony delays final quarterly earnings report over hacking scandal

Sony has opted to delay the release of its final quarterly earnings due to the recent film studio hack that hit the headlines.

US officials blamed the cyber-attack on North Korea, which opposed the release of a film called The Interview because it featured a fictional depiction of the assassination of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.

During the attack, Sony was made to take its entire network offline and has been unable to compile its full third-quarter report. It has therefore asked to postpone its release beyond 16 February, requesting permission to file its report on the last day of the fiscal year, 31 March, instead.

Chief executive officer Kazuo Hirai said earlier in January that Sony would bounce back from the attack stronger than ever before. Though the studio chose to cancel The Interview’s release, it now expects to make back the $60m that was spent on the film after an online release.