Deal ends the US studios’ long-running legal battle over distribution rights to the hit formats
Sony Pictures Television and CBS Media Ventures have settled their drawn-out legal dispute over the distribution of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune.
SPT and Paramount Skydance-owned CBS have been at loggerheads for almost a year over who owns sales rights to the lucrative formats in the US and abroad.
Financial details of the newly minted agreement have been kept under wraps but the deal will see CBS maintaining its role as the exclusive distributor of the shows to US syndicated networks through the 2027/2028 season.
CBS will also lead all ad sales until 2030 but marketing and promotions will move to SPT at the end of the 2026 season.
Sony will also hold all domestic distribution rights after CBS’s deal runs out in 2028, while international distribution will fall to SPT from 1 December.
The companies described the deal as an “amicable resolution”, adding: “We look forward to working together to continue bringing these beloved shows to audiences and stations around the world.”
US syndicated distribution rights lay at the heart of the dispute, which first emerged last year.
Sony sued CBS after claiming it was due revenue from deals struck by the Paramount Skydance firm, as well as claiming that international licensing deals had been agreed without its consent.
CBS rejected the accusations and claimed rights back via court action in May, enabling it to sell the show on linear networks until the case was settled. SPT, meanwhile, was still able to sell streaming rights, striking deals with companies including Hulu.
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