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Aaron Rasmussen is a writer for Newsweek based in New York, covering arts and entertainment. With expertise in lifestyle topics like travel and design, he has also extensively reported on celebrity news. Aaron joined Newsweek in 2024, bringing a diverse background that has included roles as executive editor-at-large at Grazia USA, multimedia producer for The Wall Street Journal's Off Duty section, and contributing writer for Investigation Discovery and HGTV. His work has been featured in both national and international outlets. Aaron holds a degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he majored in journalism, international relations, and Italian language and literature. Follow him on Instagram at @aaronrasroams.
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A judge has weighed in on the battle between two major entertainment companies suing each other over the hit game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kevin C. Brazile has granted a temporary restraining order to CBS, barring Sony Pictures Television from the right to distribute the popular programs, reported The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, February 6.
According to the outlet, Sony — the producer of both Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! — accused CBS of breach of contract in October 2024, alleging in court papers that the network had been "egregiously undercutting the value and profitability of these shows in favor of its own self-interest."
Sony also claimed that as a result it had the right to distribute the lucrative game shows — not CBS.
CBS responded with a countersuit against Sony, asking the court for a restraining order to keep the original contract's terms the same.
Judge Brazile granted the request, allowing CBS for now to continue to distribute both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune as well as work on marketing and ad sales efforts.
In a statement following the ruling, Sony Pictures Television said the company "believes it has lawfully terminated the distribution agreements with CBS for the shows and accordingly assumed all global distribution functions."
"Today the court has instructed SPT to temporarily cease taking on the distribution of the shows until the Court can further hear from the parties on this issue in the near future," the statement continued, noting, "To be clear, the Court's order has no bearing on, and is not indicative of, the eventual outcome of the ongoing litigation."
A CBS Media Ventures spokesperson said network executives are "pleased" the court granted the temporary restraining order against Sony's "unlawful actions."
"We will continue to seamlessly distribute Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! to our station clients like we have for over 40 years," the spokesperson concluded.
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