‘Wheel of Fortune,’ ‘Jeopardy!’ to stream on Hulu, Peacock
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These long-running shows will no longer air only on TV stations.
What are “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune”?
Beginning this fall, the two shows will expand beyond their broadcast runs to streaming services Peacock and Hulu in the U.S., Sony Pictures Television announced Tuesday.
Fans still will be able to continue their routines by watching new episodes of the programs on their local stations.
But the new licensing agreements with Peacock, owned by NBCUniversal, and Hulu, owned by the Walt Disney Co., mark the first time current-season episodes also will be available on national streaming platforms the day after they debut on broadcast TV.
The move is a recognition by Sony that broadcast TV audiences are aging, and the studio must expand its reach to stay relevant with younger viewers. Until now, the game shows provided a bulwark for TV station operators struggling to hold onto viewers amid the flight to streaming. Stations were able to exclusively offer two of the most popular shows on television at a predictable time, drawing viewers to their evening lineups.
Now that exclusivity is gone.
The syndicated game show, a staple of ABC’s stations for decades, is one of the last great TV franchises standing.
The deals also will give Peacock and Hulu access to older episodes of the programs, enabling their viewers to binge on the brainteasers.
“We are thrilled to bring America’s favorite game shows to an even wider audience on Hulu, Hulu on Disney+, and Peacock,” Keith Le Goy, chairman of Sony Pictures Television, said in a statement.
An appellate court said CBS could continue to deliver episodes of the popular game shows to television stations while the Paramount Global network appeals a lower court’s ruling.
Sony owns the shows and produces them on its Culver City lot.
The shift comes as Sony continues to battle CBS over distribution rights to the two shows. In April, a Los Angeles judge ruled that Sony was no longer obligated to provide episodes to CBS, which has delivered batches of episodes to television stations around the country for decades.
After that ruling, the Paramount Global-owned network appealed. A three-judge appellate panel paused the order and last week, the judges ruled that CBS could continue to distribute the shows during the appeals process.
CBS maintains Sony lacks the legal right to unilaterally sever ties.
The dispute burst into view when Sony terminated its distribution deal with CBS last August. It later filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit that claimed CBS entered into unauthorized licensing deals for the shows and then paid itself a commission. Sony also maintained that rounds of budget cuts within CBS had hobbled the network’s efforts to support the shows.
Sony claimed CBS licensed the shows to TV stations at below-market rates and failed to maximize advertising revenues.
In February, Sony attempted to cut CBS out of the picture, escalating the dispute.
CBS was not involved in the streaming pacts announced Tuesday.
Hulu and Peacock will begin streaming the shows in September with the launch of the 42nd season of “Jeopardy” and the 43rd season of “Wheel of Fortune.”
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