New episodes of ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ ‘Jeopardy!’ are coming to streaming
New episodes of ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ ‘Jeopardy!’ are coming to streaming
The two popular game shows have thus far been unavailable to stream on-demand, but rights owner Sony is looking to change that.
Two of the most popular game shows of all time are finally coming to on-demand streaming. “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” have been elusive to streaming audiences for years, but Sony Pictures Entertainment — the company that owns them — is ready to change that. The New York Times was able to discuss the two shows with Sony executives recently, and has new details regarding their long-awaited streaming debut.
Key Details:
- Sony is soliciting bids for next-day streaming rights for the two shows now.
- Initial rights to “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” will begin in September.
- A deal between Sony and its new streaming partner for the shows could be reached by early April.
Sony is taking bids for next-day streaming rights to “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” now. News that the company wanted to put “Jeopardy!” on a streaming service first began to spread in January, amidst reporting that more than 10% of the show’s viewership comes from illegal streams of episodes.
The Times reports that Sony is “in negotiations with several streaming companies,” and that a deal to stream the show could be announced by early April. Episodes of the series would be able to begin streaming on their new platform in September. Sony’s television division chairman Keith Le Goy said that the company can’t afford to be caught flat-footed in a world where major sports and other programming are shifting to streaming.
“The world is changing around us,” he said. “Consumption on streaming is now overtaking consumption of other forms of delivery of television. Big iconic franchises, like the NFL, the NBA and WWE, are moving over.”
Unlike other media titans like Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery, Sony doesn’t have an on-demand streaming service of its own. That allows it to be something of a content “arms dealer,” and Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Ravi Ahuja told the paper of record that these two shows presented the company yet another opportunity in that regard.
“People are running all over town looking for intellectual property,” he said. “When I got here it was clear that ‘Wheel of Fortune’ and ‘Jeopardy!’ were the proverbial assets hiding in plain sight. There was full awareness in the country, massive viewership and a passionate fan base. All of that pointed to a big opportunity for more growth.”
The company is currently selling next-day streaming rights to the show, which would allow the winner to air new episodes the day after they first appear on syndicated TV. Same-day rights to new episodes will become available in 2028, when all current syndication deals expire.
Whichever streamer wins will get a huge library of episodes to stream. The Streamable has posited that Netflix and Prime Video are the most logical candidates to land the show, but other streamers like Paramount+ and Peacock are also likely in talks with Sony. Whoever wins will get a large and loyal audience, as both “Wheel” and “Jeopardy!” have decades’ worth of episodes to offer.
Prime Video
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