

On Monday, Sony Pictures Television Keith LeGoy assured Deadline that the new Hulu + Peacock deal was not a violation of the network’s contract with CBS, and that the shows’ streaming rights were “completely separate” from traditional syndication.
Sony Pictures Television has spent the last few months engaged in a lengthy legal battle with CBS over control of two popular game shows, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. Sony, which produces both shows, alleged that CBS was purposefully underselling the programs as their international distributor to instead steer potential buyers toward CBS-original programming. The opposing network subsequently filed a counter-suit that had led to a protracted litigation over where the game shows will end up — and how viewers will be able to watch them in the meantime.
Last month, a California appellate court ruled that Sony Pictures Television was still required to distribute new episodes of Jeopardy! & Fortune to CBS for the duration of the lawsuit. In addition to appealing the decision, Sony responded by inking a pair of next-day streaming deals for the game shows with both Hulu and Peacock, an unprecedented turnaround rate for either program.
According to Deadline, LeGoy made a statement at the Banff TV Festival: “We have a long historic thing with CBS. They are the distributor for syndicated broadcast television.There is a pending litigation, which I really can’t talk too much about, because it’s pending litigation. The documents are out there in the public domain, if people really care to read them, but that is pursuing its course and will get resolved in due course. We feel pretty good about our arguments and that we will prevail.”
LeGoy added that Sony had specified in their most recent syndication deal with ABC — the network where as of now, new episodes of Jeopardy! And Wheel of Fortune premiere — that they were still allowed to make separate streaming deals with other networks, via Deadline. He also seemed confident that the addition of next-day streaming would not cut into either show’s viewership, stating: “We believe that the syndication audience and the streaming audience don’t cross over that much. This is going to be amplifying these shows and broadening their appeal, rather than cannibalizing any existing partnerships.”
Until further notice, fans can catch new episodes of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune on weeknights on ABC.