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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
CBS allowed to distribute Sony's 'Wheel of Fortune,' 'Jeopardy' during lawsuit appeal
CBS has notched another small victory in its legal battle with Sony Pictures Television, winning an appellate court ruling that allows the network to continue to distribute 'Wheel of Fortune' and 'Jeopardy' as its court case continues. Sony owns the shows and produces them on its Culver City lot. Last month, a Los Angeles judge ruled that Sony was no longer obligated to provide episodes to CBS, which has served for decades as the conduit, delivering batches of episodes to television stations around the country. After that ruling, the Paramount Global-owned network appealed. A three-judge appellate panel paused the order and asked both sides to submit their arguments. On Wednesday, the judges wrote that they had reviewed filings from both sides. In a one-page order, the panel granted CBS' request to keep the stay in place, allowing the network to continue its distribution duties during the appeal . CBS maintains Sony lacks the legal right to unilaterally severe ties. Read more: 'Jeopardy!' and 'Wheel of Fortune' in the midst of a legal battle between Sony and CBS Sony terminated its distribution deal with CBS in August and 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 two shows. In February, Sony attempted to cut CBS out of the picture, escalating the dispute. CBS has said Sony's claims 'are rooted in the fact they simply don't like the deal the parties agreed to decades ago.' CBS takes in up to 40% of the fees that TV stations pay to carry the shows. The company took over the distribution of the program when it acquired syndication company King World Productions in 1999. King World struck deals with the original producer, Merv Griffin Enterprises, in the early 1980s to distribute 'Jeopardy!' and 'Wheel.' Sony later acquired Griffin's company, but those early agreements remain in effect. Read more: Judge sides with Sony in 'Wheel of Fortune' and 'Jeopardy!' fight with CBS As viewing of traditional TV has declined due to competition for streaming in recent years, the two daily game shows have continued to thrive and are among the most-watched programs in television. A Sony representative was not immediately available for comment. Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
CBS wins a temporary reprieve in ‘Wheel of Fortune,' ‘Jeopardy' fight with Sony
CBS has won a temporary legal reprieve, allowing the network to continue to distribute 'Wheel of Fortune' and 'Jeopardy' amid a pitched battle with Sony Pictures Television. On Wednesday, three California appellate judges signed an order that paused last week's ruling by a lower court judge, which stripped CBS of its distribution duties for the iconic shows. The Los Angeles judge had ruled that Sony didn't need to provide additional episodes of the shows to CBS so it could distribute them to television stations around the country. That ruling is 'stayed pending further order of this court,' the judges said in a signed order. The panel gave Sony until April 28 to respond. Last week, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kevin Brazile ruled that Sony Pictures Television had the right to take over distribution of its game shows 'Jeopardy!' and 'Wheel of Fortune' from longtime partner CBS. Sony terminated its distribution deal with CBS in August and later filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit that claimed the Paramount Global-owned broadcaster entered into unauthorized licensing deals for the shows and then paid itself a commission. Sony also maintained that budget cuts within CBS had detracted from the network's efforts to support the two shows. The Los Angeles Superior Court suit also alleged that CBS licensed the shows at below-market rates and failed to maximize advertising revenues. CBS has long handled the distribution of 'Jeopardy!' and 'Wheel,' which are owned by Sony and produced on the studio's Culver City lot. CBS has said Sony's claims 'are rooted in the fact they simply don't like the deal the parties agreed to decades ago.' CBS takes in up to 40% of the fees that TV stations pay to carry the shows. The company took over the distribution of the program when it acquired syndication company King World Productions in 1999. King World struck deals with the original producer, Merv Griffin Enterprises, in the early 1980s to distribute 'Jeopardy!' and 'Wheel.' Sony later acquired Griffin's company, but those early agreements remain in effect. As viewing of traditional TV has declined due to competition for streaming in recent years, the two daily game shows have continued to thrive and are among the most-watched programs in television.
Los Angeles Times
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
CBS hits back at FCC over probe into '60 Minutes' edits
CBS has asked the Federal Communications Commission to end its investigation into edits of its '60 Minutes' Kamala Harris interview, arguing that the federal government risks becoming 'a roving censor' trampling on free speech rights. President Trump was furious over last October's '60 Minutes' interview with then-Vice President Harris in the closing weeks of the campaign. The president and other conservatives chided CBS after it was revealed that '60 Minutes' producers had edited Harris' jumbled response to a question about the Biden administration's handling of the Israel-Hamas war. Trump sued CBS for $20 billion, claiming the edits amounted to election interference. The president has demanded 'a lot' of money to settle the case, which many 1st Amendment experts call 'frivolous.' The controversy over the '60 Minutes' edits wound up before the FCC last fall when a conservative nonprofit group, the Center for American Rights, filed a news distortion complaint against CBS and its flagship television station, WCBS-TV Channel 2, in New York. 'The complaint filed against CBS for 'news distortion' envisions a less free world in which the federal government becomes a roving censor — one that second guesses and even punishes specific editorial decisions that are an essential part of producing news programming,' the Paramount Global-owned network argued Monday in its response to the FCC inquiry. The Center for American Rights lodged its FCC complaint in mid-October, ahead of Trump filing his lawsuit against CBS in federal court in Texas. The lawsuit is still pending. CBS has asked a judge to dismiss the matter or move the case to New York, where CBS is based. The two sides also have agreed to the judge's request that they present their arguments to a mediator. Late last year, the Democratic former FCC chairwoman threw out complaints filed against CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox. But Trump's pick to lead the agency, Brendan Carr, quickly revived the CBS, NBC and ABC complaints. First Amendment experts sounded alarms, saying the FCC was wading into treacherous territory in reviewing debate formats and decisions made by news producers. Carr demanded that CBS turn over the raw transcript and unedited interview, which it did. Video of the unedited interview, released last month by the FCC and separately by CBS, confirmed the network's account. But the release also highlighted that Harris' convoluted answer had been clipped to its most succinct and cogent sentence. 'The essence of the Complaint — that CBS somehow broke the law by airing a portion, but not all, of a candidate's answer to a question in a news magazine program — is fatally flawed,' CBS said in its petition. News organizations routinely edit interviews, removing extraneous words and redundant phrases. The practice has long been accepted as long as the edits don't change the context or meaning. 'The First Amendment would not permit the government to substitute its judgment for that of a broadcaster (or other speaker) as to the specific footage from an interview to be aired,' CBS said, adding that the U.S. Supreme Court has never 'recognized a sweeping right by the government to second guess editorial decision-making.' Finding against CBS could 'open the door to regular and repeated second guessing of broadcasters' editorial judgments across the ideological spectrum,' CBS argued. The '60 Minutes' case has sparked clashes within Paramount. Journalists have called on the company to defend its flagship broadcast and journalists' 1st Amendment rights. Paramount's controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, has agitated for the Trump lawsuit to be settled to clear the way for her sale of the company to David Ellison's Skydance Media. The $8-billion transaction requires the approval of the FCC. Lawyers say that Trump would have had a difficult time arguing the '60 Minutes' interview harmed him because the question did not reference him. Instead, it was about the Biden administration. Trump has said he thinks certain TV stations should lose their FCC licenses. The '60 Minutes' did not appear to diminish Trump's standing among voters; he was elected president a month later.
Los Angeles Times
06-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Judge allows CBS to distribute ‘Jeopardy,' ‘Wheel of Fortune,' amid Sony dispute
A judge is allowing CBS to continue to distribute 'Jeopardy' and 'Wheel of Fortune,' dealing a setback to Sony Pictures Television's efforts to severe ties with its longtime partner. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kevin C. Brazile late Wednesday granted CBS' request for a temporary restraining order. His order blocks Sony from bypassing CBS by sending new episodes of the popular programs directly to television stations that air them. Sony owns and produces the profitable game shows. The Culver City studio sued Paramount Global-owned CBS last fall, alleging breach of contract. It escalated the contract tussle earlier this week, announcing that it would no longer supply new episodes of the shows to CBS. Sony said it would deliver next week's batch of episodes to TV stations around the country. CBS cried foul, saying Sony could not unilaterally end the longtime distribution deal between the two companies. The defunct King World Productions syndication firm, which CBS acquired in 1999, had struck deals with the original producer, Merv Griffin Enterprises, in the early 1980s to distribute 'Jeopardy' and 'Wheel of Fortune.' Sony later acquired Griffin's company, but those early agreements remain in effect. 'We're pleased the court issued a temporary restraining order against Sony's unlawful actions,' CBS Media Ventures said Thursday in a statement. 'We will continue to seamlessly distribute Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! to our station clients like we have for over 40 years.' Sony Pictures Television, in a statement, noted that Brazile's temporary restraining order was not the final resolution. 'In light of CBS's continuous failure to live up to its contractual obligations, SPT believes it has lawfully terminated the distribution agreements with CBS for the shows and accordingly assumed all global distribution functions,' the company said in a statement. Brazile scheduled a Feb. 18 status conference for an update on the legal dispute. In its lawsuit last year, Sony claimed that CBS entered into unauthorized licensing deals for the shows in Australia and New Zealand and paid itself a commission on those deals. Sony also alleged that CBS licensed the shows at below-market rates and failed to maximize advertising revenues. Sony complained that a separate months-long dispute between CBS and ratings firm Nielsen had denied CBS-distributed shows with audience information that would demonstrate to advertisers the strength of the shows. CBS and Nielsen agreed on a new contract this week, authorizing CBS shows to receive the ratings. Sony also alleged that widespread layoffs at CBS had 'decimated' the team dedicated to supporting 'Jeopardy' and 'Wheel of Fortune.' Those cost cuts forced Sony to step in to perform key functions, including handling contract negotiations with major TV station groups to secure distribution of the shows, Sony said in its lawsuit. Sony 'will continue to fight CBS's egregious mishandling of these beloved shows and will take all necessary legal actions to protect our rights,' the company said in a Thursday statement. CBS, in its counter-complaint last fall, alleged that Sony was motivated to cut the network out of a lucrative deal. Sony had tried to buy back distribution rights to the two programs but when that effort stalled, Sony began looking for other ways to exert control, CBS alleged in its suit. CBS' parent, Paramount, has faced financial struggles for several years. Last summer, tech scion David Ellison and his family agreed to purchase Shari Redstone's family's controlling stake in Paramount. Federal regulators are reviewing Ellison's plans to take over Paramount and combine it with his Skydance Media production company. Paramount and Skydance executives are hoping that deal closes this spring.
