Sony Pictures Television and CBS have settled their year-long court battle over the distribution of syndicated game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune.
Under the settlement, Sony will gradually take over various aspects of the two shows’ distribution, starting with international markets on Dec. 1. CBS will continue to distribute Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune in the United States through the 2027-28 season, after which Sony will take over. Sony will take over marketing, promotion and affiliate relations after the current season, but CBS Media Ventures will have a larger role in ad sales, exclusively handling that aspect of the business through 2029-30.
“We have reached an amicable resolution regarding the syndicated distribution of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune,” Sony Pictures TV and CBS Media Ventures, the syndication arm of CBS, said in a joint statement. “We look forward to working together to continue bringing these beloved shows to audiences and stations around the world.”
Sony sued CBS in October 2024, alleging that CBS Media Ventures had breached its contract to distribute Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! (Sony produces both shows) by failing to live up to terms of the domestic deal and entering into unauthorized agreements for some overseas deals. CBS countersued shortly after that, claiming Sony was using the court case as a way to get out of the two companies’ long-standing contract and take over distribution of the game shows.
In February, Sony sent a letter to CBS saying it planned to take over syndication of Jeopardy! and Wheel, which led CBS to seek a temporary restraining order while the case made its way through the courts. Two months later, L.A. Superior Court Judge Kevin Brazile ruled that Sony could take over distribution, but an appeals court stayed the ruling a few days later.
CBS Media Ventures sent a note to its domestic and international distribution partners outlining the settlement Friday, on behalf of both it and Sony. Read the note in full, below.
On behalf of Sony Pictures Television and CBS Studios Inc., we are thrilled to let you know that we have arrived at an amicable resolution to the pending litigation regarding Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. While the precise terms of our settlement will remain confidential, CBS will remain the exclusive domestic distributor of the shows in syndication and continue to deliver the shows through the 2027/2028 season. Thereafter, domestic distribution will transition to SPT. Also, CBS will expand its role and exclusively lead all advertising sales through the 2029/2030 season. However, the marketing, promotions and affiliate relations for the shows will transition to SPT at the end of the 2025/2026 season. Further, SPT will continue to manage brand integrations. And international distribution of the shows will transition to SPT as of December 1, 2025. We look forward to working together to bring these beloved shows to stations and audiences around the world.
