Sony Streamlines TV Operations

Looking to streamline its TV operations, Sony Pictures Entertainment added domestic pay television to the watch of Sony Pictures Television (SPT) President Steve Mosko, who already heads domestic TV production and distribution for network, cable and syndication.

Previously, pay TV had been tucked into the international unit, which is headed by Michael Grindon, president of Sony Pictures Television International. Grindon will continue to oversee all international business.

The new duties for Mosko come as the studio is trying harder than ever to exploit new platforms, such as video-on-demand, for the delivery of its content.

Mosko, who signed on for four more years, says the move is an example of new Sony Chairman and CEO Howard Stringer's call for increased collaboration between units. “We are going to see more groups working closely together with electronics and other areas,” Mosko said.

In the television unit, Mosko's experience will help when Sony's pending acquisition of MGM Studios closes. MGM has more than 7,000 movies in its library, which will need to be sold into network and pay windows in the U.S. Also, as part of the MGM deal, Sony struck a new partnership with Comcast to create premium cable channels, which would also be managed out of SPT.

Sony is getting increasingly aggressive on the cable front. A leading studio in first-run cable production, it produces cable hits like FX's The Shield and Lifetime's Strong Medicine. The company shares a 50% stake in the Game Show Network (or GSN, as it prefers to be called) with Liberty Media Corp. and is becoming more active in GSN's programming. GSN is expected to ramp up its Las Vegas-based production and is pursuing a deal with a casino to host programs.