Jeopardy! And Wheel Of Fortune Find New Streaming Home In Major Media Move
Both shows will remain syndicated on television until 2028.
"What is Hulu and Peacock."
That's what Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings will be responding when asked where fans of the long-running and wildly popular game show will be able to find it if they have cord-cut their way into the world of streaming.
On Tuesday, Sony Pictures Television announced that both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune have inked a major deal that will bring the exclusive next-day streaming rights to both the Hulu and NBC Peacock platforms beginning this fall. The multi-year deal will be the first time that actual in-season episodes will be available to viewers outside the original broadcast. As game show enthusiasts know, if you missed either show's episode on a particular night, the only way you'd be able to see it was on DVR, or wait until it ended up on the Game Show Network or Pluto TV after the season wrapped.
(Side note: What in the world is this tweet that was sent out on the official Jeopardy! X account?!)
JEOPARDY! AND WHEEL OF FORTUNE HEAD TO STREAMING FOR THE FIRST TIME
"We are thrilled to bring America’s favorite game shows to an even wider audience on Hulu, Hulu on Disney+, and Peacock," Sony Pictures Television chairman Keith Le Goy said in a statement. "Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune are two of the most successful game shows in television history, and we look forward to giving fans the best possible streaming access to our shows this fall," Le Goy continued.
In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson famously said in 1968, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost Middle America." In today's modern world, media executives should be saying, "If we've lost Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune to streaming, we've lost television."
Fortunately for the die-hard show viewers who can't get enough of the video wall or wheel, both shows will remain syndicated on television until 2028… hopefully.
MAJOR LEGAL BATTLE ENSUES
There is currently a massive legal battle going on between CBS and Sony over distribution rights for the two shows that has been going back and forth between various courts. This past week, a three-judge panel ordered that CBS was still allowed to distribute the show after an original ruling granted Sony the right to do as it pleases. The lawsuit is still ongoing.
It will be especially telling what the future television ratings are for both game shows and if streaming hurts them. If the numbers do indeed drop, that would most likely mean that people are binge-watching the game shows. However, with both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune having some of the most rabid and enthusiastic fans (as we've covered here extensively at OutKick) who live tweet anytime anything is suspect, something tells me that they won't be willing to wait till the next day to find out what happened.
WILL YOU OPT FOR WATCHING BOTH GAME SHOWS LIVE OR WAIT UNTIL IT'S UP ON STREAMING? TWEET ME: @TheGunzShow