Judge sides with Sony in 'Wheel of Fortune' and 'Jeopardy!' fight with CBS

A Los Angeles justice connected Thursday said Sony Pictures Television has the close to instrumentality implicit organisation of its crippled shows “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” from longtime spouse CBS, dealing a stroke to the broadcast network.

Sony terminated its organisation woody with CBS successful August and aboriginal filed a breach-of-contract suit that claimed the Paramount Global-owned broadcaster entered into unauthorized licensing deals for the shows and past paid itself a commission.

The suit successful Los Angeles Superior Court besides alleged that CBS licensed the shows astatine below-market rates and failed to maximize advertizing revenues.

“The tribunal believes that Sony had the right, successful its discretion, to terminate the organisation agreements,” Judge Kevin Brazile wrote successful his bid denying CBS’ bid for a preliminary injunction that would person blocked Sony.

CBS has agelong handled the organisation of “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel,” which are owned by Sony and produced connected the studio’s Culver City lot. As viewing of accepted TV has declined owed to contention for streaming successful caller years, the 2 regular crippled shows person continued to thrive and are among the most-watched programs successful television.

CBS plans to entreaty the ruling. The institution said that the declaration with Sony is not dormant yet.

“This is lone a preliminary ruling based connected partial evidence, not the result of the afloat case,” a CBS typical said successful a statement. “We’re assured erstwhile each the grounds is heard astatine trial, we volition prevail connected the merits. In today’s ruling, the tribunal itself recognized the equilibrium of harm tips successful CBS’s favor, truthful we volition inquire the appellate tribunal for a enactment pending our appeal.”

CBS has said Sony’s claims “are rooted successful the information they simply don’t similar the woody the parties agreed to decades ago.”

CBS takes successful up to 40% of the fees that TV stations wage to transportation the shows. The institution took implicit the organisation of the programme erstwhile it acquired syndication institution King World Productions successful 1999.

King World struck deals with the archetypal producer, Merv Griffin Enterprises, successful the aboriginal 1980s to administer “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel.” Sony aboriginal acquired Griffin’s company, but those aboriginal agreements stay successful effect.