TOKYO: Sony, the electronics group, believes it is in a "fight for the living room" not only with traditional rivals like Samsung and LG, but also with new players in the TV arena, such as Apple and Google.

Speaking at the AsiaD conference, Kazuo Hirai, Sony's executive deputy president, argued the rapid evolution of digital technologies has given rise to intensified competition.

"Whether it's through the TV or some other means ... it's a fight for the living room," he said. "I think the TV is one of the natural ways in which a lot of companies are going to try to get into that space."

LG, Samsung and Sony are among the electronics companies attempting to win consumers over to web-connected TV sets. Apple and Google have also rolled out branded set-top boxes for this reason.

"Whether we're talking about Google, Apple or anybody else, I think everybody is basically embarking on their own version of a strategy to make sure that they own a very prominent space in the living room," said Hirai.

Alongside hardware and software, battle lines will be drawn around the ability to offer differentiated material, not easy given the relatively small pool of broadcasters to work with.

Hirai said: "It's a very competitive market. Do I worry about the kind of services and networked content that we can bring to our TVs? Absolutely.

"Content deals are content deals, but by and large you are going to do the same deals with a lot of the same kinds of providers."

However, Sony's stable of assets could supply a crucial head start in this area. "We have our own music company, with have our own motion picture studio and that's something that we can use to our advantage," Hirai added.

Another challenge for the firm, which has not made a huge impact in the tablet or smartphone sectors, will be delivering a seamless experience across the range of devices now utilised by consumers.

Rumours have circulated that the company may try to take full control of its Sony Ericsson mobile joint venture, but Hiari stated whether or not this happened, a closer working partnership was key.

"Now because it's an integrated user experience between the cellphone, the smartphone, TVs, pads, whatever it is, they need to a lot more integrated into the strategic discussions we have about products," he said.

Data sourced from AllThingsD; additional content by Warc staff