Ana Bond: Sony Entertainment Is Embracing Internal and External Collaboration across Latin America

Ann-Marie Corvin
·3 min read

Speaking at the 5th Conecta Fiction, Ana Bond, Sony Pictures VP and executive director for Latin American and Hispanic markets confirmed that Sony’s Entertainment division had no plans to launch its own streamer.

During her online keynote on the first day of this year’s hybrid event, Bond added that the focus remained on partnerships and creating “the best possible content.”

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“It was a strategic decision that the company made some years ago – Sony wanted to focus more on content and creators,” said Bond.

“It means you are free work with everyone in the market, which is what it means to be independent. We work in all markets with all existing platforms channels, Pay TV, streamers, Open TV – and we have no limitations except for the fact that we are looking for best possible content for the screen,” she added.

According to Bond, unless content is being made for a specific customer, this model sometimes means developing projects without necessarily knowing their end destination.

In terms of the type of content the executive is looking for across Latin American territories, she added that the diverse nature of the platforms and markets SPT works with has meant that the division’s needs remain broad: “We’re currently looking for a super series of around 60 episodes; as well as for a premium series for a specific streamer of around six-to-ten episodes and a procedural for a Pay TV channel. It’s hard to be too precise however, because we need to have a bit of everything,” she said.

While the output remains broad, Bond admitted that demand for premium scripted content for the streamers had grown in the last three years, which tends to be “more regional and distinctive in character.”

Consequently, the Sony executive expressed a desire to work on projects and with people “who have a unique voice in a specific territory or region” and added that SPT is working on 15 projects for SVOD platforms across Latin American and other Hispanic-speaking countries.

This activity includes a new project with the creators of Netflix Mexican mystery thriller “Quien Mato a Sara?” (“Who Killed Sara?”) as well as two series for Latin American SVOD Claro Video: “Doubtful Reputation” with screenwriter Álvaro Curiel (“Somos”), and the 10-part Columbian thriller “Codigo Implacable,” the first project from a co-development and co-production deal between SPT and The Mediapro Studio in Spain.

Bond also emphasized that SPT Latin America was keen to push cross-company collaboration with some of its other divisions – a project sometimes referred to internally as “One Sony”.

“One of the most interesting things that is going on right now is this new feeling of what it means to work for Sony or with Sony in terms of partnerships and synergies. It may seem obvious that the music division should link up with the gaming division or the cinema side of the business, but it doesn’t always happen,” she said.

Last year SPT’s international production arm announced that it was working with Sony Music Latin on a new Colombian drama series inspired by hip hop band ChocQuibTown. Called “Somos Los Prietos” (“We Are the Black Ones”) the series is set to examine racism in Latin American.
Bond added that the division is now currently working with Sony Studios, Playstation Studios and Sony Music and is looking for “the best possible audio visual projects based around music” as well as reexamining existing Sony IP that could be “used and re-used.”

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