Sony Pictures head Lynton becomes Sony America CEO
updated 04:00 pm EDT, Thu March 29, 2012
Sony picks media head as CEO
Sony has confirmed rumors from earlier in the month and appointed its Sony Pictures leader Michael Lynton as Sony Corporation of America CEO. While he will continue to lead the movie and TV studio, the company's music division CEO Doug Morris, its PlayStation group SCEA, and its local electronics group.
The transition takes effect June 27.
In taking the position, Lynton was acting closely in step with the wider company's One Sony concept, which is intended to have all divisions working more directly with each other. "I know we will work more closely than ever with Sony’s electronics and network businesses," he said.
Putting a movie studio head at the front of SCA reflects the successes of the media groups in the US, which have fared better than the electronics groups, but also the importance of pairing up content with technology. Sony has at times been deemed notorious for its "silos," where different sections not only don't communicate with each other, but in some cases compete. Soon-to-start Sony CEO Kaz Hirai personally cancelled three tablets in development at Sony to have it focus on the ones it thought would work.
