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Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune are two popular game shows that have been a bone of contention between CBS and Sony for a while now. In a recent court hearing, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kevin Brazile ruled in favor of CBS relinquishing the distribution rights of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune exclusively to Sony.
The litigation arose from Sony's allegation that CBS was guilty of violating the mutually agreed distribution contract. CBS, for its part, has denied all such allegations and continues to maintain that they will emerge victorious, notwithstanding the preliminary ruling.
Here's everything that we know.
What's the latest buzz about CBS losing Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune distribution rights to Sony
Both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune are popular game shows that have been consistently bringing in substantial revenue to CBS. The cause for concern on Sony's part is the allegation that CBS has drawn up licensing arrangements that are far below acceptable market levels and therefore are unauthorized. Sony has also accused CBS of overlooking the advertisement revenues. In addition to this, Sony is seeking redressal for CBS' layoffs that have adversely impacted the former's ability to execute successful distribution of the show.
Judge Brazile noted in his hearing:
"Sony can begin distributing the shows and need not deliver episodes to CBS."
CBS consequently released an official statement in response:
"This is only a preliminary ruling based on partial evidence, not the outcome of the full case. We’re confident once all the evidence is heard at trial, we will prevail on the merits. In today’s ruling, the court itself recognized the balance of harm tips in CBS’s favor, so we will ask the appellate court for a stay pending our appeal."
CBS had filed a counter lawsuit last year where it accused Sony of unlawfully breaching their contract way before the end of its term. Throughout the litigation process, CBS vehemently claimed that they had done everything in their power to abide by the clauses of the contract.
Sony has wholeheartedly welcomed the court's verdict and is all set to take up the responsibility of distributing Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune:
"We are gratified by the court’s ruling today and look forward to distributing our shows, ‘Jeopardy!’ and ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ to the 200+ stations that license and count on this programming in the U.S. and around the world, and the millions of fans who tune in to these beloved game shows every week."
CBS runs into flak owing to it's practises
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Several of CBS' business practices were at the receiving end of criticism after being brought to light during the court proceedings. The practice of bundling diverse programming as a condition during licensing negotiations was called into question.
The practice necessitated affiliate station managers to take up extra CBS content in case they wanted to avail of Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, or other such popular shows. Furthermore, it was also pointed out that the quality of CBS programming has gone downhill following its merger with Viacom.
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