John Rossiter from SPT: “2025 Has Been A Great Year”

It’s been seven years since John Rossiter, EVP of Distribution, Networks, and Production for Latin America at Sony Pictures Television, last attended MIPCOM.

“It’s been excellent, because we’ve seen a lot of demand for our series and for many of the titles we brought to the market, such as The Miniature Wife, The Lady, and SWAT: Exiles. We’re very excited because there are so many people interested in our content,” he told PRODU.

Rossiter said their meeting schedule was packed and that they had closed many deals. “What’s different from a few years ago is that before, we had many short meetings, but now we can have longer discussions with our clients—talking about the series, our output deals, and everything we’re doing,” he emphasized.

2025 HAS BEEN A GREAT YEAR

When asked for his assessment of 2025, Rossiter said it has been “a great year.”

“We came to market with many titles—SWAT: Exiles, The Miniature Wife, Titanic Sinks Tonight—in addition to our U.S. and international portfolio and our Latin American slate. It’s been an excellent year. Early on, we launched Yo No Soy Mendoza by Fernando Gaitán with Netflix, and it performed very well. Rosario Tijeras 4 was also very successful. Enloqueciendo Contigo on Disney+, though we sold it in 2024, premiered this year and did great. Casados Con Hijos, with Televisa and all our partners, was also a hit. And we have more projects on the way,” he said.

He noted that Yo No Soy Mendoza is nominated for the PRODU Awards.

“We’ve found the right projects for everyone—Casados with Televisa, Yo No Soy Mendoza with Netflix, Enloqueciendo Contigo on Disney+, and also Piensa Rápido. We’ve sold both international and Latin American series, and the response has been excellent. It’s one thing to sell, but seeing how they perform has been fantastic. I couldn’t ask for a better year—and since it’s only October, I don’t want to jinx it,” he joked.

Rossiter added that the series Doc and Señoras Mal have finished production. “They’re ready to go on air across different platforms in 2026. And we have more projects in development. The biggest challenge is keeping everything under control,” he commented.

TAKING MORE RISKS

Rossiter mentioned that Keith Le Goy, Chairman of Sony Pictures Television, said during his MIPCOM keynote that the company needs to take more risks as the industry keeps evolving.

“We’re testing different models. For example, we launched SWAT: Exiles as a concept in May, and it has done very well, selling around the world. We’re taking more risks and taking more direct control of our future. In Latin America, we started with that strategy some time ago. We want to look at our IP and transform it in meaningful ways, especially with the growth of AVOD and SVOD,” he emphasized.

LATIN AMERICA AND THE U.S. HISPANIC MARKET ARE KEY

For Sony Pictures Television, Latin America is an important market. “A few years ago, in Los Angeles, a decision was made to focus on certain key territories for local production—to invest and expand. Latin America was at the top of that list. Also, the U.S. Hispanic market is very relevant. So you get a double reward: when you do something successful in Latin America—which is huge—it also impacts the U.S. Hispanic market,” Rossiter explained.

STRUCTURE

Rossiter explained that Claudia Silva joined through Televisa. “We have the organization segmented by client. Under Ramón García’s leadership, there’s his team, with Tatiana Gallegos in charge of broadcast TV, Claudia focused on certain clients, and Teresita Núñez handling VOD,” he said.

He added that Ramón García is about to celebrate 28 years with Sony, while Rossiter himself has been with the company for around 13 years. “If you want to execute a strategy, it’s key to have the same team in place for three to five years. That’s what’s allowed us to be strategic in our decisions. Years ago, we decided not to launch our own streaming service, but instead to focus on what kind of content to produce strategically. You have to take a long-term view in an industry that changes so much. Every year I say the industry is changing faster than ever—and every year it’s true, only now the pace keeps accelerating,” he said.

FILMS FOR STREAMING

Rossiter also referred to SPT’s production of films for streaming and television. This year, they made two: Panic Room in Brazil and Hasta Que Amanezca.

“Films are a line of business we’re very excited about. This year was the first time we made two, and we’ll definitely make more—though I can’t share numbers yet,” he concluded.