17 Dec 2014 3:54 PM PT
Sony’s film and television groups have not had a harmonious relationship, and it has been further exacerbated by the recent hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment, linked to the Sony feature The Interview.
or the most part, television has been taking a back seat at SPE, viewed primarily as a workhorse contributing to the bottom line, even after SPE CEO Michael Lynton announced a year ago that the company will make “a significant shift in emphasis from motion pictures to higher-margin television.”
Despite television’s increasing importance and status as a cash cow, SPE is run by film executives, Lynton and co-chairman Amy Pascal, with major decisions that impact the television part of the company sometimes made unilaterally, without conferring with TV executives.
There had been rumblings about friction between the film and TV leadership, and we saw a glimpse of that in the leaked by hackers emails of top SPE executives, including Lynton, Pascal and SPT president Steve Mosko.
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The Goldbergs
Despite the growing discontent, SPT staffers have proceeded with their daily work, keeping the trains on time amid the major distraction from the hack attack that reportedly brought other divisions of the company to a standstill. Episodes of 8 primetime series, including The Blacklist, The Goldbergs, Marry Me and Community, filmed as scheduled over the past three weeks, along with episodes of SPT’s daytime dramas Days of Our Lives and The Young and the Restless, and game shows Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. Deals were closed and announced, including the acquisition of Australia’s Playmaker Media and international sales for Marry Me and The Goldbergs.