Is This The Beginning Of The End Of Broadcast TV Syndication?
For decades, the lifeblood of early evening broadcast television in America has been a simple formula: news, followed by syndicated game shows or sitcom reruns, leading into prime time. No two programs embodied this model more successfully than Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. Together, they’ve been a fixture on local stations for over 40 years, reliably drawing audiences and ad revenue while anchoring station lineups across the country. But that era may be drawing to a close.
The recent, messy legal and business feud between Sony Pictures Television and CBS over the future distribution rights to these two iconic game shows offers more than just industry gossip — it’s a signal of deeper structural changes. These developments raise a sobering question: Are we witnessing the beginning of the end of the U.S. broadcast TV syndication business?
Sony Takes Its Crown Jewels In-House
Sony’s decision to take Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune in-house, ending a long-running partnership with CBS Media Ventures, stunned the industry. While CBS plans to fight back legally, arguing it has contractual rights through at least the 2027–28 season, Sony is forging ahead, already signing streaming deals for both shows with Amazon’s Prime Video. The headlines may focus on personalities, contracts, and court filings, but the broader narrative is this: traditional broadcast syndication is losing its primacy, and streaming platforms are quickly stepping in.
This is no isolated move. Sony’s pivot aligns with a trend that’s been slowly but steadily accelerating — media companies reclaiming distribution control of their crown jewels and moving them to their own platforms or striking digital deals. Paramount Global, which owns CBS, did something similar by shifting reruns of SEAL Team and Evil off its network and onto Paramount+. NBCUniversal migrated The Office from Netflix to Peacock. Now, Sony is not just chasing streaming economics—it’s recognizing that the value of these shows is far more scalable and monetizable in a digital ecosystem with global reach.
A Shot Across Stations’ Bow
For local broadcast stations, the implications are stark. Many stations — especially those not owned by a major network — rely heavily on syndicated programming to fill schedule holes and maintain audience flow. Losing Jeopardy! and Wheel means losing not just dependable ratings but the connective tissue that keeps viewers watching from the end of the local news into primetime. And if these two stalwarts can be peeled away from the traditional syndication pipeline, what’s to stop others from following?
The syndication model has long been in decline, with the pipeline of high-quality first-run content narrowing each year. Talk shows are under pressure, daytime court shows have oversaturated the market, and reruns of legacy sitcoms are now more easily accessed on-demand via streaming. Stations that once had their pick of strong, mass-appeal syndicated shows now scramble to find relevant content, often filling hours with cheap reality reruns or hyperlocal content that doesn’t scale.
Streaming Anytime > Linear Appointment Viewing
In some ways, this feels like the final stage of a long, slow erosion. The rise of streaming has disaggregated the audience. Appointment viewing is fading. Younger viewers don’t even know what time either show airs — let alone on what channel. For years, syndication held on by serving an older, loyal audience that hadn’t yet cut the cord. But as even that demographic gets more comfortable with digital platforms, the economic justification for traditional syndication begins to crumble.
There’s also a control issue. Distributors like Sony are no longer content to license their highest-value properties to third parties who determine time slots, local ad inventory, and even brand positioning. Owning the full consumer relationship — through streaming subscriptions, data collection, and direct-to-consumer marketing — is now the holy grail. The idea that some local CBS affiliate in Peoria (sorry Nexstar-owned WMBD-TV!) controls a slice of the Jeopardy! audience feels increasingly antiquated.
What Could Replace Broadcast Syndication?
To be clear, broadcast isn’t going away overnight. But the days of syndication as a robust, lucrative business model are clearly numbered. What’s unfolding with Jeopardy! and Wheel isn’t just a contract dispute — it’s a preview of a future where even the most entrenched broadcast TV habits are up for grabs.
For local stations, this is a wake-up call. If the syndication well runs dry — and it’s starting to — what’s the plan? The industry may soon have to confront what life looks like without the evening comfort of spinning wheels and daily doubles. (Hint: think LOCAL — and not just news!)
Local News To Peruse
NAB Hands FCC A Long List Of Rules To Delete - Ted Hearn [Policyband]
NCTA Targets Broadcast Must Carry Rules for Deletion - Ted Hearn [Policyband]
The Speech Police: Chairman Brendan Carr And The FCC’s News Distortion Policy - Jon Brodkin [Ars Technica]
Dramatic TV Station Changes: For Legacy Pay TV As Well? - Wayne Friedman [MediaPost]
Deregulation May Come For Local TV, But Who Will Benefit? - Mary M. Collins [TVNewsCheck]
Nexstar To Advocate For Media Deregulation – On Its Stations - Terence Henderson [T Dog Media]
Horowitz: Antenna Adoption Declines In U.S. Homes - Matthew Keys [TheDesk.net]
The Timeless Quality Of Baseball On The Radio, From Spring Training To The Future - Ethan Inman [USC Annenberg Media]
