CBS lost its distribution rights for “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!” after a Los Angeles court rejected a network of interim injunctions that would have prevented Sony from taking over.
Sony, which creates two iconic game shows, filed a complaint in October 2024, claiming that CBS had signed an unauthorized license agreement. Specifically, the entertainment company claimed that CBS failed to license the show at sub-market rates and maximize advertising revenue.
Sony envisioned a distribution in February after CBS accused them of breaching the contract. In response, the CBS sought and was granted a restraining order. This allowed the network to retain the program’s distribution rights.
In ruling Thursday, Superior Court Judge Kevin Brazil said: “Sony can start distributing the show and there’s no need to deliver the episode to CBS.”
CBS Media Ventures said it would immediately appeal a court ruling on distribution rights for the two programs, created by Merv Griffin and debuted in 1975.
“This is merely a preliminary ruling based on partial evidence and not a complete case result,” CBS Media Ventures said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch. “We are confident that if all the evidence is heard in court, we will win the merit. In today’s ruling, the court itself recognizes the balance of the hints of harm in favor of CBS, so we ask the Court of Appeal to stay pending for the appeal.”
“We are pleased with today’s court ruling and look forward to relying on our show, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, to lean on this programming in the US and around the world, and distributing millions of fans each week to these beloved game shows,” Sony Pictures television said in a statement.
