He was in the role for two years. He will stay on through July. A replacement has not been named.
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Belgrad’s departure, first reported by the Hollywood Reporter, marks the second major executive departure from the studio this week.
“Steve Mosko is actively campaigning to be made COO of SPE”, Lynton wrote in an email to Nicole Seligman, then SPE’s president, according to emails made public in the hack.
Sony Pictures Entertainment has unveiled changes to the leadership structure at its television division in the wake of Steve Mosko’s exit as chairman.
During the nine months he has headed worldwide production, Panitch has overseen the new division, which has been producing local language film content in 10 countries and which now has 24 films scheduled for release.
Like TV chief Steve Mosko, he’s a 20-year-plus Sony veteran who was on the short list to take over as Motion Picture chairman after Amy Pascal (to whom he was the top deputy) stepped down last year, though that position went to Tom Rothman.
Sony has had box office success recently with “The Angry Birds Movie”. Sony now ranks last out of the six major studios in terms of domestic ticket sales so far this year, according to Box Office Mojo.
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Sony’s succession plans are not clear. Its exhibits range from the NBC struck “Blacklist”, ABC’s humor “The Goldbergs”, the Netflix crisis “Bloodline” and AMC’s “Better Phone Saul” and “Preacher.” the system also creates the extended-working game exhibits “Wheel of Fortune” and “Risk” and directs the day talk-show “Doctor”. Deadline, meanwhile, said that the relationship between the SPT chief and his boss, Sony Pictures Entertainment chief Michael Lynton, was “frosty”. Also reporting to Mr. Lynton are Andy Kaplan, president of worldwide networks; Keith Le Goy, global distribution president; and Amy Carney, president of advertising sales and research.
