Sony Pictures Television sued Paramount’s CBS over distribution remits for the TV game shows Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!.
A decades long arrangement between the companies sees Sony take care of production of the shows while CBS is in charge of distribution and sells ad space in them.
Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! were developed and produced by Merv Griffin Enterprises (MGE) in the late 1970s and early ’80s, and were originally syndicated by King World. Sony bought MGE in 1994, and CBS bought King World in 1999, therefore each inheriting the respective roles of their acquisition. Reportedly, the two game shows together generate for Sony some $100 million a year in profits.
In the suit, Sony alleged breach of contract and claimed that CBS gained distribution fees from unauthorized deals, licensed the shows at prices below market rates.
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