Court rules against CBS in ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ ‘Jeopardy!’ suit
Court rules against CBS in ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ ‘Jeopardy!’ suit
CBS had been seeking to block Sony Pictures Television from distributing the popular game shows.
It was a good week in court for Sony Pictures Television. Earlier this year, Sony told CBS and parent company Paramount Global that it was assuming distribution duties for Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune,” much to the network’s chagrin. A legal battle has ensued, but Sony got good news in its efforts to distribute the shows itself.
Sony has won a preliminary injunction against CBS, which was attempting to block it from distributing the two game shows. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kevin C. Brazile and his colleagues ruled they believe Sony has the right to terminate distribution deals and seek their own.
From Sony’s perspective, CBS has been licensing the shows at rates “below market,” and that it has “failed to maximize advertising revenue.” One example provided is when Proctor & Gamble stopped advertising alongside the shows in January, citing Paramount’s inability to renew its deal with the ratings firm Nielsen as part of the reason why.
CBS says it will appeal the decision.
“This is only a preliminary ruling based on partial evidence, not the outcome of the full case,” a CBS spokesperson told Deadline in a statement. “We’re confident once all the evidence is heard at trial, we will prevail on the merits. In today’s ruling, the court itself recognized the balance of harm tips in CBS’s favor, so we will ask the appellate court for a stay pending our appeal.”
Sony announced earlier this year that it had begun shopping the streaming rights to “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune,” in a bid to finally present them to audiences via popular on-demand platforms. From the tenor of the current legal proceedings, it sounds as if Paramount+ is an unlikely candidate to get those streaming rights now.
The case between Sony and CBS is just heating up, but Sony has undeniably won an important victory. Now, the litigation moves to the appeals phase.
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