Ravi Ahuja, who is Indian American, was named the new president and chief operating officer of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
According to Variety, Ahuja is rising from his current post as the chairman of Sony global television studios and corporate development, and will assume his new responsibilities beginning April 1st. He will also continue as the head of television at Sony.
This number two position at Sony, under Chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra, hasn’t been previously filled, Deadline reported. Ahuja will continue reporting to Vinciquerra who is not leaving the studio soon and did not comment on succession planning, however Deadline speculates that Ahuja’s promotion is an indication of who will take the reins of Sony in the future.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, before joining Sony, Ahuja was president of business operations and CFO of Walt Disney Television, and was previously CFO of the Fox Networks Group and CFO of Virgin Entertainment Group.
Since joining Sony in 2021, he has shaped its TV division’s content strategy. Variety noted that Ahuja has established a dedicated game show production group with iconic brands like Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!, as well as growing its scripted franchises like The Boys, Outlander, and Cobra Kai.
In recent years, Cobra Kai, a sequel to the original Karate Kid films, has attracted controversy for the series’ whiteness, according to the LA Times.
Deadline reported that Ahuja is credited with focusing on the strengths of the independent studio and navigating the realities of today’s TV business.
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