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A judge on Thursday allowed Sony to take over distribution of “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy,” in a major blow to CBS, which has syndicated the lucrative shows for decades.
Judge Kevin Brazile refused to grant CBS an injunction, finding that Sony is likely to prevail on its claim that CBS has failed to live up to its contractual obligations.
“The Court believes that Sony had the right, in its discretion, to terminate the distribution agreements in August 2024,” the judge wrote.
CBS intends to appeal immediately.
“This is only a preliminary ruling based on partial evidence, not the outcome of the full case,” a CBS Media Ventures spokesperson said 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.”
If the ruling stands, it would mark the end of a partnership that dates to the early 1980s, when the shows were produced by Merv Griffin Enterprises and distributed by King World. Sony and CBS inherited the contractual arrangement when they acquired the two companies. The distribution deal is estimated to be worth billions of dollars to CBS.
In a statement, Sony said it was pleased with the ruling.
“We are gratified by the Court’s ruling today and we look forward to distributing our shows, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, to the 200+ stations that license and count on this programming in the U.S. and around the world, and the millions of fans who tune in to these beloved game shows every week,” the company said.
Sony, which produces the shows, sued CBS in October, alleging that the distributor had failed to get top dollar for the shows in its syndication deals with local stations. Sony argued that CBS was improperly bundling the shows with less popular shows that CBS owns, like “The Hot Bench” and “The Drew Barrymore Show.” Sony also accused CBS of withholding license fees on deals in New Zealand and Australia.
CBS countered that Sony was merely fabricating a pretext to seize control of distribution. In a countersuit filed in November, CBS alleged that Sony had first offered a nine-figure buyout, and only filed suit after CBS refused.
In his ruling on Thursday, Brazile credited the testimony of a former CBS vice president, Roxanne Pompa, who alleged that the game shows were “relegated to the back seat” in favor of CBS-owned programming. Pompa also alleged that after the Viacom-CBS merger, the shows were given lower priority.
The judge had earlier granted a temporary restraining order that prevented Sony from taking over distribution. The lawsuit remains pending.
