LA SCREENINGS: SPT’s Jason Spivak and Mike Wald unpack shifts in the licensing market, preview titles including an Outlander spin-off, a Lord of the Flies TV adaptation and a Jon Hamm-led psychological thriller, and explain why the LA Screenings still provides the “broadest view of the entire market.”
Mike Wald
In recent years, Sony Pictures Television (SPT) has tailored its LA Screenings offerings to cater to international buyers that are increasingly selective in what they acquire.
In the era before the streaming wars, when busy pilot season would mean each studio might be showcasing dozens of titles, buyers were more inclined to take a wide-net approach, grabbing a larger number of shows and taking punts on new projects.
But today, in an era of relative scarcity, where the volume of shows unveiled at the LA Screenings and made overall has declined, buyers are far more discerning in what they acquire. However, for projects that really stand out, bidding wars do still break out.
“People are focusing less on breadth and are really looking for content that breaks through, with strong IP, a franchise or big talent attached,” Mike Wald, SPT’s co-president of distribution and networks, tells C21.
“That’s been the case for the past couple of years and that continues to be the case today. People are willing to step up and go after that must-have content, and that is different perhaps from years past, when it was more [a case of] ‘buy everything.’”
Key titles on the SPT slate include American Hostage (for MGM+), a 1970s-set psychological thriller starring Jon Hamm (Mad Men, Your Friends & Neighbors) about a beloved Indianapolis radio reporter who is thrust into the middle of a life-or-death crisis when hostage taker Tony Kiritsis demands to be interviewed on his popular radio show. The anthology series is based on the first season of a scripted podcast of the same name.
SPT’s Outlander prequel Blood of my Blood for Starz
Other buzzworthy titles on the slate include Outlander prequel spin-off Blood of my Blood (for Starz); the BBC’s four-part adaptation of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, produced by SPT-backed Eleven and penned by Adolescence co-creator Jack Thorne; The Lady (ITV), a Left Bank Pictures drama about the Duchess of York’s former aide and convicted murderer Jane Andrews; Titanic Sinks Tonight, produced by Stellify Media for the BBC, which aims to provide a complete picture of the most famous 160 minutes in maritime history; and Australian thriller Playing Gracie Darling (Paramount+), produced by Curio Pictures.
More recently, SPT secured the international distribution rights to Peacock original The Miniature Wife, a high-concept marital dramedy starring Elizabeth Banks and Matthew Macfadyen.
SPT will introduce these titles, along with some “surprises,” to buyers during a Sunday night screenings event. As of Monday this week, more than 700 clients had RSVP’d to the event, which Wald says is an indication of the continuing importance of the LA Screenings.
Jason Spivak
Jason Spivak, SPT’s other co-president of distribution and network, adds that the studio has been encouraged by the “substantive” pre-sale conversations that are already underway.
With Fox’s upcoming move to launch its own streaming service, Fox One, Sony now stands alone as the only major Hollywood studio that has decided against going direct to consumers.
Given that many believe the ‘streaming wars’ are over – with Netflix emerging as the dominant force and several others now pulling back, considering consolidating or shifting strategy after losing billions vying for Netflix’s crown – Sony’s strategic decision to remain as an arms dealer selling to all appears to have been the right approach.
Certainly, the company has endured challenges over the past five years as it has weathered the pandemic, the commissioning slowdown and the 2023 strikes. But it has not seen nearly the level of corporate drama, lay-offs and strategic to-ing and fro-ing that has been on display at some of its American studio competitors.
As the content business enters its post-streaming-wars era, SPT is on solid footing and appears well placed to continue being one of the key content suppliers globally.
“Our independence is the core of our model,” says Spivak. “The ability to work with everyone is our greatest strength, and then, when you add on top of that the relationships we’ve built on the production and distribution side, and our track record of delivering groundbreaking global hit shows, that combination is extremely powerful.”
Australian thriller Playing Gracie Darling for Paramount+
Although Sony did not enter the streaming fray in terms of general entertainment, it should be noted that it does own a streaming service, in the form of animé-focused Crunchyroll. Wald says that with animé continuing to grow in international standing, the Crunchyroll pipeline has been a valuable addition to the SPT distribution catalogue. It won’t necessarily be a focal point at the LA Screenings, but Wald says the genre is “blowing up” internationally and is the source of frequent buyer conversations.
Wald and Spivak say SPT’s production and distribution machine is firing on all cylinders in 2025. The culmination of much of that work will be on display at the LA Screenings, which they insist has not lost any of its relevance amid a changing industry landscape.
“There’s a lot of prep that goes into these things and it points to the continued significance of this market,” says Spivak. “Even as the world has changed regarding the timing of when shows premiere, this remains as the single moment when the industry comes together. It is still the place where buyers and sellers have the broadest view of the entire market, and it’s incredibly vibrant and important.”
