CBS has won a temporary legal reprieve, allowing the network to continue to distribute “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy” amid a pitched battle with Sony Pictures Television.
On Wednesday, three California appellate judges signed an order that paused last week’s ruling by a lower court judge, which stripped CBS of its distribution duties for the iconic shows.
The Los Angeles judge had ruled that Sony didn’t need to provide additional episodes of the shows to CBS so it could distribute them to television stations around the country.
That ruling is “stayed pending further order of this court,” the judges said in a signed order. The panel gave Sony until April 28 to respond.
Last week, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kevin Brazile ruled that Sony Pictures Television had the right to take over distribution of its game shows “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” from longtime partner CBS.
Sony terminated its distribution deal with CBS in August and later filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit that claimed the Paramount Global-owned broadcaster entered into unauthorized licensing deals for the shows and then paid itself a commission. Sony also maintained that budget cuts within CBS had detracted from the network’s efforts to support the two shows.
The Los Angeles Superior Court suit also alleged that CBS licensed the shows at below-market rates and failed to maximize advertising revenues.
CBS has long handled the distribution of “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel,” which are owned by Sony and produced on the studio’s Culver City lot.
CBS has said Sony’s claims “are rooted in the fact they simply don’t like the deal the parties agreed to decades ago.”
CBS takes in up to 40% of the fees that TV stations pay to carry the shows. The company took over the distribution of the program when it acquired syndication company King World Productions in 1999.
King World struck deals with the original producer, Merv Griffin Enterprises, in the early 1980s to distribute “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel.” Sony later acquired Griffin’s company, but those early agreements remain in effect.
As viewing of traditional TV has declined due to competition for streaming in recent years, the two daily game shows have continued to thrive and are among the most-watched programs in television.
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