Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra to Step Down

Effective January 2, 2025, Ravi Ahuja to Take Over as President and CEO

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra will step down from his CEO role and SPE chairman of global television studios Ravi Ahuja will become president and CEO, effective January 2, 2025.

Vinciquerra will stay on in an advisory role for SPE as non-executive chairman until the end of December 2025. Ahuja will report to Sony Group Corporation chairman and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida and Sony Group Corporation president, COO and CFO Hiroki Totoki.

Screen understands a succession plan had been in the works for a while.

Vinciquerra’s Legacy

Vinciquerra joined SPE in June 2017 and has presided over five consecutive years of increasing profit by growing the company’s film slate, selling or shutting down most of the 110 cable networks under his purview.

Crucially, the executive resisted the urge like every other Hollywood major to build a general streaming platform and instead turned SPE into a key strategic supplier of film and television to the streamers, while also developing the company’s genre-based streaming business with the acquisition of the Crunchyroll anime platform in 2021.

Under his watch, SPE and Apollo Global Management made an offer for Paramount Global, only to withdraw their offer in August when it looked increasingly likely that the Skydance Media merger proposal would eventually win out.

Ahuja’s Background

Ahuja joined SPE in 2021 to oversee all production businesses for Sony Pictures Television (SPT) and the studio’s India business as chairman of Global Television Studios. SPT and its production companies produce shows like The Crown, The Boys, Better Call Saul, The Last of Us, The Night Agent, and American Idol.

Ahuja has also overseen SPE’s M&A activities, including the acquisitions of Industrial Media, the UK’s Bad Wolf and VFX company, Pixomondo, as well as the sale of GSN Games to Scopely. Prior to Sony, he was president of business operations and CFO of Walt Disney Television.

Yoshida’s Statement

Yoshida said the “extraordinary turnaround at SPE over the last 10 years” would not have been possible without Vinciquerra, adding: “Under Tony’s watch, SPE became a critically important part of our efforts to maximise the value of our IP and find synergies across all our entertainment and technology businesses, and it remains a key driver in Sony Group’s ongoing corporate strategies to lean further into the creative and entertainment spaces.”

Conclusion

The change in leadership at Sony Pictures Entertainment marks an important milestone in the company’s history. With Ahuja at the helm, the studio is poised to continue its growth and success in the ever-changing media landscape.

FAQs

* What is the effective date of Tony Vinciquerra’s departure?
+ January 2, 2025
* Who will take over as president and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment?
+ Ravi Ahuja
* What will Tony Vinciquerra’s role be after his departure?
+ Non-executive chairman until the end of December 2025
* Who will Ahuja report to?
+ Sony Group Corporation chairman and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida and Sony Group Corporation president, COO and CFO Hiroki Totoki