Toshiba selects Norio Sasaki as next President and CEO

by Darren Murph posted Mar 18th 2009 at 2:21PM

We needn't tell you that things haven't been going awesome for Toshiba ever since HD DVD hit the skids and slid right into its coffin, but the company has yet to lose hope in its future. As a sign of impending change, Tosh's board of directors has just selected Mr. Norio Sasaki -- who is currently a senior executive VP in the company -- to become the next CEO and President this June. Sasaki will replace Atsutoshi Nishida following an ordinary general meeting of the shareholders, and he'll also succeed Tadashi Okamura in becoming the next chairman of the board at Toshiba Corporation. If you're curious as to whether or not this chap has what it takes, check this: the man is into mountain biking, smooth jazz and golf, and his personal motto is "perseverance will open the way." How dare you doubt that?

Filed under: Industry, Toshiba

Tags: Atsutoshi Nishida, AtsutoshiNishida, business, CEO, economy, exec, executive, management, Norio Sasaki, NorioSasaki, president, toshiba

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Neutral

Grubert @ Mar 18th 2009 2:58PM

Well the first thing he should do for his company's sake is dump that "Net Player" contraption they just unveiled

http://www.homecinemachoice.com/feature/toshiba+unveils+net+player+and+2009+lcd+tv+range+says+it+was+right+bail+out+blu+ray+14+03+09

and start work on a proper Blu-ray player.

Highly Ranked

WebDev511 @ Mar 18th 2009 5:19PM

Toshiba and Blu-Ray isn't going to happen. On numerous occasions they've indicated that downloads and flash are where they're focusing for media distribution.

There are plenty of very good well priced Blu-Ray players on the market, so it doesn't really make sense for Toshiba to spend R&D money that isn't likely to be recouped.

2160p+ with lossless will be the next step up in HD Media and it will either be on SDXC Flash or BD with four or more layers. Either way, we're probably going to end up buying a new player of some sort.

Neutral

squiggleslash @ Mar 18th 2009 6:37PM

Not making a Blu-ray player is one of the ways Toshiba is returning to profitability. Their attitude, and it's exactly what I'd want them to do if I was a shareholder, is let the others either popularize it or die trying. Toshiba can dip a toe in that water if Blu-ray ever actually becomes profitable.

Toshiba lost $1B on HD DVD, despite taking on almost all of the burden of promoting it and making 95% of the mass market players. I don't know what the latest figures are, but a year ago Sony was in the hole for $3B and climbing for Blu-ray, and there's no sign Sony has turned a profit on the technology. I suspect to some extent Toshiba's glad it's out of that little war.

Neutral

Multi-format-mayhem @ Mar 18th 2009 6:17PM

Get over it Darren!

Why would Toshiba bother with Blu-ray anyway?

Blu-ray is close to dead if not actually dead.

Already they are having to drop their prices and are fast approaching DVD levels - and still the Nielson numbers (hmmm, anyone surprised at how come they've been dropped from being shown weekly here?) - show it stuck at $10 million insales per week.

Still the mass-market couldn't care less.

So, there's almost no margin for anyone to make any money out of it and a public who couldn't care less and that's all happening against the background of an economy tanking worse than at any time since the 1930s.

It just can't happen fast enough for Blu-ray now and we can all now stop kidding ourselves that it's ever going to happen.

Too little too late, bye bye Blu.

Neutral

DEEZNUTZ @ Mar 18th 2009 8:40PM

Seems like you need to take your own advice... get over it. Your tired rants are getting old, predictable, and boring. Get a new act, cause that wholr "Blu is dead" scene you you keep rehashing is a year past it's time. It's over a year since HD DVD died... seriously, get over it.

Highly Ranked

Multi-format-mayhem @ Mar 18th 2009 11:40PM

Actually Deeznutz what's 'old' is your tedious assertion that anyone who criticises Blu-ray hasn't gotten over HD DVD departing the field.

What a ludicrous thing to say.

The facts are exactly as I said, Blu-ray has a minute presence in the mass-market and despite some admirable price-cutting that continues to be the case.
Nielson does indeed show Blu-ray sales bumping along at a mere $10million a week
(and you better hope they have a few 'Batman' or Iron Man' movies, that are decent enough to sell, to stand a hope of matching last year's numbers).

It is also very well know that Blu-ray's R&D costs were enormous and stand about zero chance of ever being recouped.

So, with players now selling at $150 and more than a few catalogue discs now discounted down to DVD levels how can there possibly be any real margin for anyone to make money on it?

That being the case why would Toshiba bother with it?

With the state of the economy it's perfectly clear that Blu-ray is stuck with tiny growth prospects for another year and probably 2 - and even that's largely dependent on whatever new and existing PS3 owners can be attracted to bothering with it....like as if the general public could care less about collecting large numbers of movies anyway.

So, that'll be 5 years (and still counting) going nowhere and all the time digital distribution grows and grows.

Between Netflix, Xbox XBL, even the PS3's PSN and the other services (practically a new one is posted up here every week) it's clear the space for Blu-ray to grow into is shrinking every passing month.

Sorry, try again, not one bit of this has anything to do with HD DVD.

Neutral

DEEZNUTZ @ Mar 19th 2009 11:28AM

It's about your repetitive rants about your PERSONAL hatred for all things Blu-ray. Assuming all that you say is true (which it is not), it's still boils down to your infantile taunting of anyone who happens to enjoy the benefits of Blu-Ray. Hence my "get over it" remarks.

Your reasons for wanting BD to fail are completely personal, and whether you want to admit it or not, it was born from your choice in supporting and advocating for an HD format that ultimately failed.

"Look at the latest figures, BD will never surpass DVD in sales, haha, what a failure!!!LMAO!!!1111"

That about sums up every single one of your comments. So again, get over it child.

Neutral

WebDev511 @ Mar 19th 2009 11:37AM

Um... Blu-Ray is close to dead? It's got competition, but it's not dead, not by a long shot.

That said, the market isn't so big that Toshiba should feel compelled to spend R&D money on it. I don't doubt they could make a great player though.

Until those other formats are fully developed I'll take Blu.

Highly Ranked

Multi-format-mayhem @ Mar 19th 2009 12:24PM

LMAO Deeznutz.

Despite it being made set out & made perfectly clear the best you can manage is to avoid what's said and try to take refuge in your own invented laughable & delusional 'they hate.....' nonsense.

I'm finding it hilarious how those who were once such big advocates for Blu-ray (and who spent an age telling us all how it was the one that would take over from DVD and be an even bigger success) have now lowered their sights so much & so obviously, making little but the most defensive comments.

If I've been saying similar things for a while now then it stands to reason that I must have been telling the truth - otherwise you could point out and prove the explosiuon in Blu-ray ownership & sales.
You can't. Boo hoo.

Actually Darren prompted this.
Darren is the one who can barely make a single Toshiba thread without including some of his own fanboy-ism for Blu-ray and his continual moan that they won't join in and help force the issue.
Typical, but so enlightening that that is the last hope, forcing consumers (which also goes for those who would see the market rigged to try and push people off of DVD, get over that too, it's not going to happen. DVD might be low margin but it's vast volume, the studios know what side their bread is buttered on).

It seems to me to be perfectly fair and balanced that at least one of two of the people responding point out the Emperor's new clothes once in a while.
No-one forces you to read or agree with it.

Too bad you can't (and never could) bear to see it, eh, child?

Neutral

EatingPie @ Mar 19th 2009 8:35PM

Wow, the format war ended a year ago, and you, mayhem, are intent to continue fighting it!

Of course Darren mentions lack of Blu from Toshiba. They're the only major Consumer Electronics manufacturer not making Blu hardware... and they lost the format war, so all eyes are on them wondering *when*. It's just the obvious question.

On the exaggerated claims of Blu-ray's death...

DVD was the fastest adopted format in history. Blu-ray, however, is being adopted FASTER. Every new major motion picture is released on Blu-ray. Criterion (maker of the best SE content, hands down) has embraced Blu-ray. CNET just ran an article about regular-joes (ie, not early adopters) who no longer buy DVD in lieu of Blu-ray.

And Sony's $3BN loss was *not* Blu-ray. It was an across the board loss, with the PS3 console taking a major hit (Sony makes several stand-alone BD players). And I don't even know if your figure is close anyway.

Anyway, you're just plain wrong across the board. Blu-ray is doing very well, and while it's still early in the format's life, it's got a very bright future ahead of it. And it's a great format.

-Pie

Neutral

Peter F @ Mar 19th 2009 8:41AM

I still have high hopes. Maybe he'll reboot HD-DVD

Neutral

Pavel Kopecky @ Apr 26th 2009 10:22AM

MR.NORIO SASAKI,HELP,HELP ME PLEASE....PLEASE...I LOVE,LOVE,LOVE NOTEBOOK TOSHIBA QOSMIO X300-130...I NO HAVE MONEY,ONLY UNDERPAID...I AM FROM CZECH REPOBLIK FROM PRAG.GIVE ME PLEASE FOR REPAYMENTS PLEASE THE NOTEBOOK,PLEASE.....PLEASE...
Pavel Kopecky
Krchlebská 4/1889
Praha 4
14000
Czech Republik
Excuse me I cannot English....
Please help me....

Neutral

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