Movies

‘Jeopardy!’ and ‘Wheel of Fortune’ dispute escalates as Sony moves to cut out CBS

BBG News

Sony Pictures Television announced that they’ve ceased sending fresh installments of their hit game shows “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” to their long-standing partner CBS, as a contract disagreement between the two TV behemoths intensifies further.

Sony, located in Culver City, revealed on Monday that they will now handle worldwide distribution for two of their shows. In a move bypassing CBS, these latest episodes will be sent directly to TV networks who air these programs.

In response, CBS asserted that Sony doesn’t have the power to terminate their partnership without notice. They announced their intention to file an emergency court order to maintain their connection with these esteemed programs.

Despite any claims from Sony suggesting otherwise, CBS continues to be the distributor for the series. CBS Media Ventures made this clear in a statement on Monday, labeling Sony’s statements about the issue as untrue, inappropriate, and lacking effectiveness.

CBS stated, “We’re asking the relevant courts for quick resolution.” Meanwhile, our regular operations will carry on as usual.

CBS has been broadcasting shows for over 40 years, with these programs being owned by Sony and produced directly on their studio grounds.

Hollywood Inc.

Stepping into the shoes of a popular game show host isn’t a walk in the park, but the ratings for ‘Wheel of Fortune’ have soared since Pat Sajak’s departure – and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of this exciting change!

On Monday morning, the head of Sony’s game shows, Suzanne Prete, wrote a letter to the president of CBS News and Media Ventures, Wendy McMahon, stating that the episodes due this week, which were submitted to CBS on January 27th, would mark the end of their collaboration.

Sony Pictures plans to start sending out episodes of their TV shows to broadcasting stations, commencing from the episodes slated for airing during the week of February 10th, as reported by Prete to McMahon.

Last fall, Sony moved to terminate CBS’s distribution agreements due to alleged breaches.

Back in October, I found myself filing a breach of contract lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court, accusing CBS of making secretive deals with international broadcasters that were not part of our agreement. These clandestine transactions, as I see it, had the effect of devaluing two popular game shows we both have been managing. Despite dwindling ratings across the TV landscape, these shows have managed to maintain a faithful fanbase, and I believe CBS’s actions undermined that loyalty.

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For several decades, the popular syndicated game show has been a mainstay on ABC’s television channels. Now, it stands as one of the few successful and enduring TV franchise formats remaining.

As a devoted admirer, I’d put it this way: Last autumn, CBS responded with a counter-claim, stating that Sony had previously attempted to renegotiate our deal by purchasing the distribution rights for two of our shows back from us. When these attempts were unsuccessful, according to CBS, Sony started exploring alternative methods to assert control.

According to Sony, significant job cuts at CBS, a company under the control of Shari Redstone’s Paramount Global, have severely impacted entire departments that handle show licensing, promotion, marketing, and advertising sales.

At Sony, employees have been required to assume tasks that were previously handled by CBS, such as advertising and publicity efforts, according to the studio’s statement. In addition, Sony Pictures has found itself involved in and even leading negotiations with major television networks regarding show renewals, as stated in their lawsuit.

For a number of years, Paramount has been facing financial difficulties. Last summer, tech mogul David Ellison and his family consented to acquire Redstone’s majority share in Paramount. The proposed takeover by Ellison, which includes merging Paramount with his Skydance Media production company, is currently under review by federal authorities. Executives from both Paramount and Skydance are optimistic that the deal will be finalized this spring.

In their legal action, Sony claims that CBS receives between 35% and 45% of the payments made by TV stations for the privilege of airing the two specified shows.

According to Sony’s lawsuit, CBS has earned over a billion dollars significantly, mainly because of Sony Pictures’ continuous investment and unwavering commitment towards creating and advertising the shows.

Television

In simpler terms, the game show ‘Jeopardy!’s host, Ken Jennings, expressed regret and issued an apology when one of their questions, referring to a well-known quote by Dorothy Parker about females wearing glasses, was used in a previous episode.

In my perspective as a film critic, I’d say that Sony claimed CBS breached their distribution deal by striking agreements for television rights in Australia and New Zealand beyond what was stipulated in their original agreement.

CBS has defended its conduct.

CBS and its earlier company King World have been valued distribution partners and careful guardians for ‘Wheel’ and ‘Jeopardy!’ in the syndication market for over 40 years. As they stated last fall, this partnership has aided in turning these shows into franchises, making them cultural sensations, and generating billions of dollars for Sony.

In the ongoing conflict between Sony and CBS, there’s an additional complication: CBS’ contract disagreement with media measurement giant, Nielsen. For several months now, Nielsen has not been tracking CBS programs and their ratings, which is crucial for the TV industry as it provides the primary data on audience numbers. Sony claims that this lack of ratings negatively impacted CBS’ ability to “achieve peak advertising sales and syndication” and resulted in the departure of a significant advertiser.

Starting from next Monday, Nielsen and Paramount will re-establish their partnership. This means that Nielsen will once again monitor Paramount’s networks and platforms such as CBS, Paramount+, and Pluto TV.

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2025-02-03 23:02

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