Sony Pictures TV on Wednesday laid off a number of employees at its programming, home entertainment, and worldwide distribution divisions as part of its on-going consolidation at the company.
The exact number of job cuts is unknown, but an insider confirmed to TheWrap that several people were let go. Sony declined to comment when contacted by TheWrap.
Sony Pictures TV Chairman Mike Hopkins said in June, in announcing the reorganization, that the company was going to be forced to “make some difficult decisions.”
In July the studio cut over two dozen staffers in its film marketing and distribution departments, as management takes marching orders from Sony Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciqerra to have leaner operations in film and TV.
And in February the studio parted ways with three major TV executives. Keith Le Goy took over for Man Jit Singh, who exited as president of SPE Home Entertainment. Andy Kaplan stepped down as president of Worldwide Networks and Sheraton Kalouria his post as president and chief marketing officer for Sony Pictures Television.
In his June memo to staff addressing the changes in the TV business, Hopkins outlined three areas to be reorganized. He said that the company will combine global networks operations and worldwide distribution/home entertainment into a single business unit that will then operate in a territory management model that “brings together, under a single local leader, businesses that have been historically separate.”
“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,” Hopkins said.
Hopkins ended the memo by recognizing the changes “will be a significant adjustment.”
“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,” he said.