Sony: Broadcast TV is looking for new big shows

The distribution business, in a scenario in which some distributors have to feed their own screens, has become a challenge. “Two years before the pandemic, we had established the strategy of being an independent studio and that has been great because we are developing and producing products that are available for sales” explained John Rossiter, EVP of Distribution and Network at Sony Pictures Television for Latin America.

Additionally, Sony currently has an excellent position now when open TV is looking for new big shows. The company has a great unscripted business and recently bought Industrial Media, creator of hits such as American Idol, and which includes a portfolio of companies that produce over 100 programs for the world.

“Open channels are looking for daily programs that generate the feeling that they are taking place at the moment, almost as if they were live programs. I receive plenty of requests for that sort of thing” furthered Rossiter.

In fiction, buyers are looking for content that revisits the past, such as historical dramas, and also light content, such as comedies for entertainment.

The executive mentioned that, in addition, in Latin America, there is a return to classic telenovela: “The region is once again focused on titles that performed very well, instead of continuing with the other things they tried”.

Rossiter added that another trend is that the quality of productions is increasingly higher, with larger budgets. “There is more money on the screen” he concluded.