Starting today, America’s most-watched syndicated game shows are no longer exclusive to broadcast television.
On Tuesday, Comcast’s Peacock and the Walt Disney Company’s Hulu began releasing new episodes of the hit game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune as part of a multi-year digital distribution deal with each show’s producer, Sony Pictures Television.
Subscribers of Hulu ($10 per month with ads) and Peacock Premium Plus ($11 per month with ads and sports) can now stream new episodes Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune one day after they air on local broadcast TV stations, marking the first time that episodes from the current season of both shows have been made available to a streaming platform within 24 hours of their original air date.
“We are thrilled to bring America’s favorite game shows to an even wider audience on Hulu, Hulu on Disney Plus, and Peacock,” Keith Le Goy, the Chairman of Sony Pictures Television, said in June when the deal was originally announced. “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.”
Sony’s streaming deals with Comcast and Disney are separate from its broadcast syndication agreements with local TV station owners. The deals come nearly a year after Sony sued Paramount on allegations that the latter entered into unauthorized distribution deals in international markets. Paramount has long had the domestic distribution rights to the show for broadcast TV syndication.
Earlier this year, a district court in California said Sony could reclaim distribution rights to the show while the case proceeded. An appellate court issued a stay, which paused the transfer of rights. The stay was lifted last week.
Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune are the country’s most-popular syndicated game shows, with Jeopardy averaging around 9 million viewers per season and Wheel of Fortune pulling in nearly 8 million viewers during its most-recent season.
The deals with Comcast and Disney could put both shows in front of even more viewers. As of August, Hulu counted 55 million subscribers, while Peacock has around 41 million paying customers. Hulu content is available within the Disney Plus app, while Peacock recently became a bundled offering within Walmart’s membership service Walmart Plus.
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