A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has granted Sony Pictures Television a preliminary injunction, effectively denying CBS’ bid to block the company from distributing the long-running game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. The court ruled in favor of Sony, citing that licensing agreements should be limited to two years but some deals, particularly in Australia and New Zealand, were for longer periods.
CBS had filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Sony earlier this year after it informed the company that it was taking over global distribution of the shows. Sony accused CBS of licensing the shows at below-market rates, failing to maximize advertising revenue, and undercutting them through self-preferencing. Procter & Gamble’s decision not to advertise on the shows in January was cited as an example.
CBS has announced plans to appeal the decision, stating that the court did not engage with the standard for termination of material breach in New York. However, Sony is thrilled with the ruling and looks forward to distributing its shows to 200+ stations worldwide and millions of fans every week.
The outcome comes after years of CBS bundling these shows with their own content to gain an advantage. Now that Sony owns the shows, it’s taking control over distribution. The judge’s decision essentially delays the contract termination process, but both parties will appeal the ruling.
Source: https://deadline.com/2025/04/jeopardy-wheel-of-fortune-cbs-court-battle-sony-1236365771