Initial ruling from US court supports SPT’s bid to retake distribution of gameshows 

Jeopardy!

Jeopardy has been at the centre of a distribution dispute between CBS and Sony

Distribution rights to Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy are set to be taken from Paramount and given back to Sony, following an initial US court ruling that could impact the flow of millions of dollars.

Sony Pictures Television (SPT) and Paramount’s CBS Studios have been at loggerheads over the distribution of the Sony-owned gameshows for months, after SPT filed a lawsuit against CBS Studios in October.

In that lawsuit, SPT alleged that CBS Studios owed it money from previous distribution deals and said it was taking back rights to licensing the shows in the US and around the world.

Sony also claimed CBS Studios had violated terms of its 40-year distribution contract by setting up licensing deals beyond the agreed two-year period in territories including Australia and New Zealand, and had bundled the show with what Sony claimed were less popular CBS series of lesser value.

CBS, however, argued that Sony’s court action was a means by which to retake distribution and said Sony had offered a nine-figure sum to buy the rights back. That was dismissed by CBS, which claimed it was only then that Sony took legal action.

The battle intensified in February after a US court slapped a temporary ban on SPT from seizing back the rights to the iconic gameshows but Judge Kevin Brazile has now ruled that Sony’s lawsuit is likely to succeed.

The Court order read that “Sony can begin distributing the shows and need not deliver episodes to CBS.”

Judge Brazile added: “The Court believes that Sony had the right, in its discretion, to terminate the distribution agreements in August 2024.”

Brazile also pointed to testimony from former CBS vice-president, Roxanne Pompa, who said that the gameshow had been “relegated to the back seat”, with CBS-owned shows given more attention.

At present, the syndicated titles are distributed by CBS in conjunction with Paramount’s sales arm, Paramount Global Content Distribution (PGCD). Sony produces the series.

The lawsuit remains pending, with CBS Studios confirming it would appeal the initial verdict.

A CBS Media Ventures spokesperson underlined that Brazile’s comments were “only a preliminary ruling based on partial evidence, not the outcome of the full case.”

The CBS spokesperson added: “We’re confident once all the evidence is heard at trial, we will prevail on the merits. In today’s ruling, the court itself recognised the balance of harm tips in CBS’s favour, so we will ask the appellate court for a stay pending our appeal.”

Sony said it was “gratified” by the Court’s ruling and said it “looks forward to distributing our shows, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, to the 200+ stations that license and count on this programming in the US and around the world, and the millions of fans who tune in to these beloved game shows every week.”