Apparently Sony wants to buy Tamron (Imaging Resource). Tamron confirmed a JP¥200 Billions offer from Sony to buy them. That’s about CA$1.76 Billions. Their statement say they are looking at it. Sony already owns about 15% of Tamron.
The question is whether this would mean the end of third-pary lenses for other than Sony. The claim is that Sony wants to protect Tamron, with whom they have a partnership, against some other investors, that have recently become a larger shareholder than Sony.
DPReview has a longer analysis, mentioning other business from Tamron that Sony competes in, and the fact that while Tamron is the OEM for some Nikon lenses, and how some lenses are only available in Sony E-mount or with better pricing. And given that Canon and Nikon have been a bit restrictive on third-party lenses (R and Z mount respectively), it wouldn’t be a surprising move post-acquisition, if it ever happened, to stop making lenses for these.
In comparison, in 2011, Hoya sold the Pentax camera business to Ricoh Imaging for about JP¥10 Billions.