COMPANY TOWN ANNEX

Sony Seeks Advice on Public Offering: The company has consulted with Blackstone Group Chairman Peter G. Peterson, a director of parent Sony Corp. in Tokyo, about a possible public offering in its U.S. entertainment holdings by the end of next year, the Asian Wall Street Journal reported. Sony executives have indicated for some time that they were considering selling a minority stake in the entertainment group, possibly to the public, and have recently courted Wall Street analysts. The company’s entertainment operations include Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures and Sony Music. The Asian Wall Street Journal reported that Blackstone will evaluate several approaches to a public offering, such as a sale of a stake in the combined music, movie and electronics operations or separate “letter stock” in each unit.