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Sony considering sale of unit that owns Beatles songs - WSJ

Various lights are cast on a logo of Sony Corp on a podium during its high resolution audio products unveiling event in Tokyo September 25, 2014. REUTERS/Yuya Shino

(Reuters) - Sony Corp is considering a sale of its Sony/ATV Music Publishing unit, which owns the rights to most of the Beatles' songs, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing the company's leaked internal emails. The unit, which Sony owns jointly with deceased pop star Michael Jackson's estate, is estimated to be worth $1.5 billion-$2 billion (0.96-1.28 billion pounds), the Journal said. Sony/ATV Music declined to comment on the report. It is currently not clear if Sony will sell its stake in the unit or the entire business will be put on the block, the Journal said. The leaked documents do not indicate an expected price and the timing of a potential sale, the newspaper said. Sony is still reeling from the disclosures in documents released by computer hackers, which have exposed internal discussions key to the company's future to public scrutiny. (Reporting by Anya George Tharakan in Bengaluru and Ritsuko Ando in Tokyo; Editing by Kirti Pandey)