SONY LAUNCHES CASH-FOR-TVs SCHEME IN UK

       Japan's Sony on Wednesday launched a scheme in Britain to encourage cash-strapped consumers to swap old televisions fore new onews in a plan that mirrors worldwide car trade-initiatives.
       Sony said in a statement that it would offer customers reductions of as much as 150 pound (Bt8,460) off the price of some of its new Bravia televisions in return for ageing models.
       "Sony UK is introducing a new television trade-in initiative this Friday [today] whereby consumers can trade in their old television at participating Sony stockists in exchange for money off a new Bravia," it said in a statement.
       "The new TV trade-in scheme from Sony makes it easier for consumers to dispose of old sets and receive money off a new Bravia."
       The loss-making company has been badly hurt by the global economic downturn which has slashed worldwid demand for televisions and other electronic gadgets.
       "The campaign itself offers customers the advantages of swapping old for new rather than simply throwing away, encouraging old televisions to responibly disposed of," added Sony UK spokesman Matt Coombe.
       The TV scrappage plan follows the success of the British government's new for old car scheme.
       Earlier this month, the government announced that British motorists had bought more than 150,000 new cars under its vehicle scrappage scheme, reaching the half-way mark in the plan to boost the troubled auto sector.
       the scheme, which gives car buyers a 2,000 pound discount when they trade in a vehicle over 10 years old, was launched in April and mirrors schemes abroad.
       Last month, Sony reported a net loss of 37.1 billion yen (Bt13.5 billion) for the fiscal first quarter through June, blaming the global economic downturn