A battle is raging between CBS and Sony Pictures Television over the two most popular game shows in America, leaving their status up in the air for some fans. According to TV Insider, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune production company Sony Pictures Television filed lawsuit against CBS Media Ventures in October 2024. CBS has owned the syndication rights for both shows since acquiring King World Productions, while Sony purchased Merv Griffin Enterprises.
The lawsuit claims that CBS’s licensing agreements for both game shows were “unsatisfactory” and violated the distribution contract.
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“CBS has been egregiously undercutting the value and profitability of these shows in favor of their own self-interest,” Sony said in a statement about the lawsuit. They also claim CBS violated the deal with licensing deals with Australia and New Zealand, and added that Paramount’s dispute with ratings body Nielsen interfered with having the updated data available during negotiation.
CBS is countersuing, claiming Sony is using the courts to cancel the agreements after a failed attempt to outright buy them with a nine-figure offer that was eventually declined. Sony had started to move forward and notified CBS on Monday that they’d begin distributing both game shows to local networks starting the following Friday. A Los Angeles court instructed them to stop making further distribution at this time and approved the temporary restraining order.
“We will continue to seamlessly distribute Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! to our station clients like we have for over 40 years,” CBS said in response to the decision. The good news for fans is that this will continue without interruption despite the legal spat.
CBS is still scheduled to distribute episodes and they shouldn’t be affected by the ongoing legal case. The disagreement could also change some of the longtime rules on airing Wheel of Fortune or landing it a new streaming home. The longtime Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune channels on Pluto TV went dark at the tail end of 2024, marking the start of the legal disagreement between the two companies.
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