Sony Pictures Television is streamlining its international TV operations, consolidating the management of its worldwide channels, home entertainment, and program sales activities under the leadership of Sony Pictures Entertainment distribution president Keith Le Goy. The restructuring unveiled Wednesday will cost an undetermined number of jobs as the integration of three previously distinct divisions is completed. A handful of senior executive posts in international distribution have already been eliminated. The move to slim down Sony TV’s international ranks was signaled in February when the studio pink-slipped the leader of its networks unit, Andy Kaplan, and home video arm, Man Jit Singh. The changes come as part of a broader overhaul of studio operations that Sony Pictures TV chairman Mike Hopkins has been hammering out with his boss, Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra. Both Fox alums joined the studio last year. The goal is to eliminate redundancies and de-silo Sony TV. Previously, international TV networks, TV distribution, and home entertainment ran as separate entities under different leaders. The intent is to “create a stronger and more agile organization, one that is better able to pivot and capitalize on opportunities in a fast-changing and increasingly complex global marketplace,” Hopkins wrote in a note to staff distributed Wednesday. He emphasized that Sony TV needs to reorient some of its focus to “align with the realities of today’s marketplace.” To that end, the studio has also launched a direct-to-consumer unit headed by Eric Berger, Sony TV’s chief digital officer and longtime head of its Crackle streaming service. Berger reports to Hopkins. The move consolidates the leadership of Crackle and Sony’s other direct-to-consumer channels, Funimation, Film1 OTT and Animax on demand. Sony TV also aims to rev up its first-run syndication activity, which has been pared down during the past few years as the general syndication market hit a slump. John Weiser, longtime domestic sales exec for Sony TV, has been named president of first-run television. He’s tasked with developing new first-run franchises in partnership with Holly Jacobs, head of U.S. production, Wayne Garvie, head of international, and Sony TV-based producer Michael Davies of Embassy Row. Hopkins said in a note to Sony TV international staffers that the studio will shift to a “territory management” system where execs will work as a group in key territories under a single regional leader who reports into Le Goy. Those territory leaders are: Mark Young for Western Europe, John Rossiter for Central and Eastern Europe, Ken Lo for Asia-Pacific, and Alex Marin for Latin America and Canada. NP Singh, head of Sony’s India channels operation, will now oversee TV distribution in that country. “Broadly speaking, the new territory management model brings together, under a single local leader, businesses that have been historically separate,” Hopkins wrote. “With this approach, we gain a more efficient structure giving regional leaders, along with their direct reports in each country, the ability to make smart, strategic business decisions, while keeping local consumers at the core of what we do. A Centralized Services division based in Culver City has been created to handle the various programming, marketing, sales and technical needs of Sony’s 100 channels worldwide. TC Schultz has taken on the new role of executive VP of networks operations, programming and strategy. Le Goy been with Sony since 1999 He rose up the international distribution ranks, from Europe and Latin America, to become president of international distribution in 2016. He took on worldwide duties in 2016 and was upped to distribution president for Sony Pictures Entertainment in February. (Pictured: Keith Le Goy)<doc-sep>Producer Liz Friedman has signed a multi-year overall deal with Sony Pictures Television. Under the agreement, Friedman will serve as an executive producer on Sony-produced ABC drama series “The Good Doctor.” She will also develop original broadcast, cable, and streaming series for the studio. Friedman co-created the ABC drama “Conviction” and co-wrote the pilot for “Orange Is The New Black” with Jenji Kohan. She served as an executive producer on “Marvel’s Jessica Jones,” as well as a writer and senior producer for “House” and “Elementary.” “I’m thrilled to be in working with Sony, especially since it means climbing back into trenches with David Shore on The Good Doctor,” said Friedman. “Great show, great showrunner, great opportunity to once again use sarcoidosis in conversation.” Friedman is represented by CAA and attorney Jeanne Newman.<doc-sep>Emmy-nominated writer-producer Liz Friedman has signed a multi-year overall deal at Sony Pictures Television. Under the pact, Friedman reunites with David Shore, with whom she worked on House, to serve as executive producer on Shore-created The Good Doctor and will develop original series for broadcast, cable and streaming services. “I’m thrilled to be in working with Sony, especially since it means climbing back into trenches with David Shore on The Good Doctor,” said Friedman. “Great show, great showrunner, great opportunity to once again use sarcoidosis in conversation.” Twice-Emmy-nominated Friedman co-created ABC’s Conviction and co-wrote the pilot for Orange Is The New Black, along with Jenji Kohan. She served as writer and senior producer for nearly the entire run of House (with Shore) and Elementary, which was recently renewed for a seventh season. She also was an executive producer on Marvel’s Jessica Jones. Friedman is repped by CAA and attorney Jeanne Newman.<doc-sep>
Sony Pictures Entertainment is streamlining its television business in a broader restructuring to adapt to the changing entertainment industry as new TV head Mike Hopkins puts his stamp on the company. The studio is merging its television networks, home entertainment and distribution businesses under one executive, Hopkins told staff Wednesday in an email obtained by The Times. Those businesses have traditionally been run separately — a structure that insiders said has become antiquated as the rise of digital media and streaming blurs the lines between home entertainment and TV networks. The Culver City-based studio is also consolidating some other TV business operations and creating a direct-to-consumer unit that includes streaming services such as U.S.-based Crackle and Japanese animation outlet Animax. The corporate shuffle is expected to result in a small number of job cuts, though studio representatives would not specify how many. “I understand that these changes, following the restructuring earlier this year, will be a significant adjustment for many of you,” Hopkins said in an email to staff. “We’ve had to make some difficult decisions but they were important moves as we reorient our business to align with the realities of today’s marketplace.” Sony Pictures Chairman Tony Vinciquerra telegraphed the changes in February, when the Japanese-owned company removed three high-level executives and enacted sweeping changes to its home entertainment and television businesses. The ongoing restructuring is part of Vinciquerra’s plan to adapt the studio to a fast-changing industry as home entertainment revenues shrink and consumers switch to streaming and other online viewing options. Home entertainment President Man Jit Singh, worldwide networks head Andy Kaplan and television marketing President Sheraton Kalouria left the company in the February shake-up. The ousters left Keith Le Goy in charge of Sony’s home entertainment and television distribution businesses. He will now also oversee management of the company’s international networks, with the exception of Sony’s significant operations in India, which still report to Hopkins. Hopkins was named chairman of Sony Pictures Television in October after running the streaming video service Hulu. Earlier this year, the studio’s Tokyo-based parent company Sony Corp. named Kenichiro Yoshida to succeed Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai, who had led the electronics giant for six years. ryan.faughnder@latimes.com @rfaughnder