Sony Pictures Television Chairman Steve Mosko is departing the company after 24 years, reported Variety on Wednesday. He had just been promoted to chairman from president last September. Variety reports that Mosko and Sony could not come to terms on a new contract.
Mosko, 60, survived the now infamous Sony hack in December 2014, which saw other top Sony executives, and most notably Sony Pictures co-chair Amy Pascal, leave the company.
Mosko has been in charge of SPT’s worldwide TV operations since 2009, when he added the company’s international television division to his portfolio. He joined the company in the syndication sales division in 1992, when it was still Columbia TriStar and Mosko reported to Barry Thurston. Mosko replaced Thurston in 1994, and was given oversight of all of SPT’s domestic television operations in 2002. At that time, Sony shut down all of its primetime operations and fired most of those executives. Mosko has since rebuilt that department.
Under Mosko, Sony has produced many popular original series for broadcast, cable and subscription video on demand (SVOD) with such series as AMC’s Breaking Bad, Showtime’s Master’s of Sex and Netflix’s Bloodline. SPT also recently had a broadcast hit for NBC in The Blacklist, starring James Spader, although its latest entry, Turkish remake Game of Silence, didn’t make it past season one. It also has such shows as ABC’s Shark Tank, The Goldbergs and Dr. Ken and NBC’s The Night Shift on the air.
During this pilot season, Sony sold five series to broadcast networks, including a Blacklist spin-off and Timeless to NBC, as well as Imaginary Mary and Notorious at ABC and Kevin Can Wait at CBS.
Internationally, Mosko has expanded the company’s Sony- and AXN-branded channels into more than 180 countries. He also oversees Crackle, Sony’s streaming video service that offers shows such as Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, and cable network GSN.
Who might replace Mosko is unclear. Sony might choose to promote from within, hire someone new or just have Mosko’s lieutenants - such as presidents of programming, production and distribution Zack Van Amburg, Jamie Erlicht and John Weiser — report up the chain to Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton.
READ MORE: Variety
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