A California Court of Appeals restored to CBS the sole right to distribute “Jeopardy” and “Wheel of Fortune” while the company’s legal dispute with Sony over the game shows proceeds.
The ruling overturns an April 10 decision allowing Sony to distribute the game shows.
“Pending disposition of this appeal, the trial court’s order of April 10, 2025 finding that ‘Sony can begin distributing the Shows and need not deliver episodes to CBS’ is hereby stayed, including all matters embraced therein or affected thereby by the trial court’s order,” the three-judge panel said in a statement obtained by TheWrap.
The decision by Judges Gonzalo Martinez, John Segal, and Natalie Stone means that CBS retains distribution rights for both shows for the rest of the court battle, effectively tabling Sony’s deals until the dust settles.
Sony previously had sued CBS in October, alleging its owed money from the two studios’ past distribution deals and that CBS breached its contract by setting up licensing deals in Australia and other overseas markets.
CBS countersued in November, arguing that its contract is clear that it holds the distribution rights to the series in perpetuity. In February, CBS was granted a temporary restraining order after Sony moved to take over distribution rights that same month.
CBS and Sony had jointly handled the two popular game shows since the 1990s.
In October 2024, Sony claimed CBS had beached their contract by licensing the shows at below-market rates and engaging in “self-dealing.”
CBS declined comment to TheWrap on Thursday.
