CBS has reportedly suffered what many are calling a “shocking” blow to “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” on Thursday, April 10.
According to a report from Deadline, the network has lost out in a major battle over the distribution rights regarding the popular game shows. A judge in Los Angeles issued a major ruling this week, in a serious blow to CBS.
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled on April 10 that a preliminary injunction has been granted to Sony. The preliminary injunction effectively blocks CBS’s attempt to prevent Sony from distributing the prominent game shows.
CELEBRITY JEOPARDY! – “Quarterfinal #1: Mark Duplass, Emily Hampshire and Utkarsh Ambudkar” – On the season premiere of “Celebrity Jeopardy!,” stars Mark Duplass (“The Morning Show”), Emily Hampshire (“Schitt’s Creek”) and Utkarsh Ambudkar (“Ghosts”) compete for the chance to win the grand prize of $1 million for the charity of their choice. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 27 (8:00-9:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC. (Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images) KEN JENNINGS
Sony had reportedly informed CBS earlier this year that it was taking over global distribution of the shows. The two popular game shows are among the most watched in the world and have been running for more than 40 years. Millions of Americans and plenty more worldwide tune into the popular game shows on a daily basis. They are essentially ingrained into the American pop culture fabric at this point.
LA Superior Court Judge Kevin C. Brazile announced April 10 that Sony has the ultimate rights.
According to Deadline, the issue between CBS and Sony is mostly financial:
The issue is essentially financial. Sony accused CBS of licensing the shows at “below market” rates, “failed to maximize advertising revenue” and “undercut” the shows through “self-preferencing”.
One example it gave was from January when Procter & Gamble stopped advertising, suggesting that Paramount’s inability to renew its deal with ratings data provider Nielsen was in part responsible.
CBS, meanwhile, isn’t backing down quietly. The network is planning on appealing the ruling.
“We plan to appeal the decision immediately. This is only a preliminary ruling based on partial evidence, not the outcome of the full case. 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,” a CBS Media Ventures spokeswoman told Deadline.
Sony, of course, is thrilled.
“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,” a spokeswoman told Deadline.
