HEARD ON THE BEAT

Playing Around: Sony will celebrate the one-year anniversary of its entertainment-oriented Web site, The Station, by launching a new business today to expand its online presence.

The new company, Sony Online Entertainment, will also emphasize online games, including Sony-owned game shows such as “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy,” said President Lisa Simpson. Sony Online Entertainment will combine the resources and assets of Columbia TriStar Interactive in Culver City and Sony Online Ventures in New York. The new business will operate on both coasts with an expanded staff of more than 50 people, Simpson said.

Having signed up nearly 1 million registered users in a year, “we think people are thinking of the Internet as a place to come for entertainment,” she said. Among those users, 53% are in the advertiser-coveted 18-to-34 age group, and 48% of them are women, she said.

The Station, at https://www.station.sony.com, will continue to rely on advertising revenue but will also charge visitors to play some of its games, said Richard Glosser, Sony Online Entertainment’s executive vice president. For example, visitors could pay a one-time fee to participate in an online College Jeopardy tournament, while strategy games, such as the Tanarus military simulation, could require a subscription, he said.