Sony and CBS have been in a legal battle over the distribution rights to “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” since early this year. The argument is based on contracts that go back decades. Sony has claimed that CBS has been making unauthorized licensing deals and sued for rights. CBS countersued.
Sony was given permission by the court to terminate distribution deals in April, according to a report from Deadline. However, a ruling in May gave distribution rights to CBS until the argument is finished in court.
Now, Sony has made multi-year streaming deals for the two shows with Peacock and Hulu. The deals will make episodes of the shows available to stream on the platforms the day after airing, and will include access to previous episodes of the shows. The streaming deals are separate from rights to the shows on linear TV.
“We are thrilled to bring America’s favorite game shows to an even wider audience on Hulu, Hulu on Disney+, and Peacock,” said Keith Le Goy, Chairman of Sony Pictures Television. “Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune are two of the most successful game shows in television history and we look forward to giving fans the best possible streaming access to our shows this fall.”