Les Moonves: CBS Would Consider Buying Sony Pictures

CBS Corp. president and CEO Leslie Moonves is revealing what many in Hollywood have long suspected: He's interested in CBS possibly buying Sony Pictures.

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Moonves confirmed his interest in Sony's film and TV studio via an interview published Thursday by the Wall Street Journal. "We love our current portfolio, but as a content company, we would want to look at them," Moonves told the newspaper, cautioning that there were no specific plans to make a deal.

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Sony didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hollywood Reporter.

Sony Corp. has not officially put its film and television assets up for sale, but some in Hollywood and the financial community believe the Japan-based conglomerate would consider shedding its Los Angeles-based studios for the right price.

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Moonves, who this week signed a rich contract extension that will keep him atop CBS until 2017, has long sought to increase the film profile of the TV-based conglomerate. CBS — a sister company of Viacom, which owns Paramount Pictures — launched CBS Films in 2007 but the division releases only a few titles per year. Adding Sony Pictures would instantly make CBS a major player in the film world.