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{{Short description|American television game show}}
{{italic title|string=Jeopardy!}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
''[[Jeopardy!]]'' is an American television game show created by [[Merv Griffin]], in which contestants are presented with clues in the form of answers and must phrase their responses in the form of a question. The show has experienced a long life in several incarnations over the course of nearly a half-century, spending more than 12 years as a daytime network program and having currently run in syndication for 41 seasons. It has also gained a worldwide following with a multitude of [[Jeopardy! (franchise)#International versions|international adaptations]].

== Overview ==
=== Main series ===
{{Series overview
| width        = 50%
| seasonT      = Seasons
| network      = y
| multiseries  = 
{{Series overview
| series       = ''[[Jeopardy!]]'' (original)
| episodes12   = 2,753
| start12      = {{Start date|1964|03|30}}
| end12        = {{End date|1975|01|03}}
| network12    = [[NBC]]
}}
{{Series overview
| series       = ''Jeopardy!'' (weekly syndication)
| episodes2    = 39
| start2       = {{Start date|1974|09}}
| end2         = {{End date|1975}}
| network2     = [[Broadcast syndication]]
}}
{{Series overview
| series       = ''[[The All-New Jeopardy!]]''
| episodes1    = 108
| start1       = {{Start date|1978|10|02}}
| end1         = {{End date|1979|03|02}}
| network1     = [[NBC]]
}}
{{Series overview
| series       = ''Jeopardy!'' (daily syndication)
| start41      = {{Start date|1984|09|10}}
| end41        = present
| network41    = [[Broadcast syndication]]
}}
}}

=== Spin-offs ===
{{Series overview
| width        = 50%
| seasonT      = Seasons
| network      = y
| multiseries  = 
{{Series overview
| series       = ''[[Jep!]]''
| episodes1    = 22
| start1       = {{Start date|1998|01|30}}
| end1         = {{End date|1998|06}}
| network1     = [[Game Show Network]]
}}
{{Series overview
| series       = ''[[Rock & Roll Jeopardy!]]''
| episodes4    = 100
| start4       = {{Start date|1998|08|08}}
| end4         = {{End date|2001|12}}
| network4     = [[VH1]]
}}
{{Series overview
| series       = ''[[Sports Jeopardy!]]''
| episodes3    = 116
| start3       = {{Start date|2014|09|24}}
| end3         = {{End date|2016|12|07}}
| network3     = [[Crackle (streaming service)|Crackle]]
}}
{{Series overview
| series       = ''[[Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time]]''
| episodes1    = 4
| start1       = {{Start date|2020|01|07}}
| end1         = {{End date|2020|01|14}}
| network1     = [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
}}
{{Series overview
| series       = ''[[Celebrity Jeopardy! (American game show)|Celebrity Jeopardy!]]''
| episodes3    = 29
| start3       = {{Start date|2022|09|25}}
| end3         = present
| network3     = [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
}}
{{Series overview
| series       = ''[[Jeopardy! National College Championship]]''
| episodes1    = 9
| start1       = {{Start date|2022|02|08}}
| end1         = {{End date|2022|02|22}} 
| network1     = [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
}}
{{Series overview
| series       = ''[[Jeopardy! Masters]]''
| episodes2    = 19
| start2       = {{Start date|2023|05|08}}
| end2         = present
| network2     = [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
}}
{{Series overview
| series       = ''[[Pop Culture Jeopardy!]]''
| episodes1    = 9
| start1       = {{Start date|2024|12|04}}
| end1         = present
| network1     = [[Amazon Prime Video]]
}}
}}

''Super Jeopardy!'' (1990)

==1964–1975==
{{more footnotes needed|section|date=July 2020}}

===Original series (1964–1975)===
The original ''Jeopardy!'' series, hosted by [[Art Fleming]], premiered at 11:30{{nbsp}}a.m. Eastern (10:30 Central) on March 30, 1964, originating from studios at the [[NBC]] headquarters in New York City's [[30 Rockefeller Plaza]]. NBC moved the program to 12:00 noon Eastern (11:00{{nbsp}}a.m. Central) after 18 months,{{citation needed|date=December 2010}} making it accessible to businessmen coming home for their lunch break or else watching it on restaurant or bar sets, and college students departing their classes for the day watching it on student center or dormitory sets. These two constituencies, who ordinarily did not have the time or interest to view other daytime programs, made the show a runaway hit, propelling its ratings to second place among all daytime game shows by the end of the decade—second only to its immediate lead-in, ''[[Hollywood Squares|The Hollywood Squares]]''.<ref name="Fabe">{{cite book|last = Fabe|first = Maxene|title = TV Game Shows|publisher = Doubleday & Company|location = Garden City, New York|year = 1979|isbn = 0-385-13052-X}}</ref> The show had practically no trouble whatsoever against soap operas such as ''[[Love of Life]]'' and ''[[Where the Heart Is (American TV series)|Where the Heart Is]]'' on CBS and mostly sitcom reruns on ABC.

In 1973, [[Lin Bolen]], then Vice President of Daytime Programming at NBC, began eliminating longer-running game shows from the network in an aggressive attempt to bolster ratings among women aged 18 to 34, a [[key demographic|desirable demographic]] to advertisers on daytime programs of that day; ''Jeopardy!'' had not performed especially strongly among those viewers, despite its overwhelming success among men and young people. Refreshing the daytime lineup became especially imperative to Bolen when CBS launched a surprise success in the soap opera ''[[The Young and the Restless]]'' at 12:00{{nbsp}}p.m. EST (11:00{{nbsp}}a.m. CST) in March 1973, drawing away younger audiences in particular. Although ''Jeopardy!'' continued to produce high ratings in the 12:00 noon time slot (also against the ABC revival of ''[[Password (American game show)|Password]]''), Bolen moved the game to 10:30{{nbsp}}a.m. Eastern (9:30 Central) on January 7, 1974, putting it up against [[CBS]]' ''[[Pyramid (game show)|The $10,000 Pyramid]],''<ref name="Fabe"/><ref name="MasterBooks">NBC Master Books, Daily Broadcast Log, Motion Picture and Television Reading Room, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.</ref> to make room for ''[[Jackpot (game show)|Jackpot!]],'' a stylish, youth-oriented riddle contest hosted by [[Geoff Edwards]], in ''Jeopardy!''{{'s}} former timeslot. Bolen and other NBC executives were surprised, though, when ''Jeopardy!'' actually beat ''Pyramid'' for several weeks in February and March, prompting CBS to cancel ''Pyramid'' for failing to draw, according to packager [[Bob Stewart (television producer)|Bob Stewart]] (who also produced ''Jackpot!''), a 30 share that CBS daytime executives required a show to have in order to stay on its daytime schedule (''Pyramid'' returned several weeks later on ABC in an afternoon slot and went on to become one of the most popular games of the 1970s and 1980s). CBS relocated ''[[Gambit (game show)|Gambit]]'' to 10:30{{nbsp}}a.m. on April 1, which ran about even with ''Jeopardy!'' in the ratings, with ''Gambit'' having perhaps a slight lead, due to its more traditional housewife target audience.{{Citation needed|date=July 2013}} Remarkably, ''Jeopardy!'' stayed strong despite losing much of its core audience, who was usually either at work or in classrooms during that hour and thus could not watch the show then.

However, Bolen was not interested in seeing an aging show like ''Jeopardy!'' stand in the way of her plans for a more youthful image for NBC's daytime lineup, so she resolved to prepare it for eventual cancellation, a rare instance of a network deliberately trying to undermine one of its programs. So, on July 1 of the same year, NBC moved ''Jeopardy!'' to yet another timeslot, this time to 1:30{{nbsp}}p.m. EST (12:30{{nbsp}}p.m. CST) (replacing ''[[Three on a Match (game show)|Three on a Match]],'' yet another Bob Stewart-produced game) and placed it against [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[Let's Make a Deal]]'' and CBS' ''[[As the World Turns]],'' both of which had easily beaten the ratings of several programs placed in that same time slot by NBC since December 1968. At that time, ''Deal'' moved to ABC from NBC, which had carried it in that very time slot during much of the 1960s, in a dispute by packagers [[Hatos-Hall Productions|Stefan Hatos and Monty Hall]] over the latter network's refusal to make a weekly primetime version of the show permanent.

With the July move, many of the previously tenaciously devoted viewers began abandoning the program; most of the remaining ones were either middle-aged housewives or elderly retirees, two groups undesirable to advertisers due to their usually fixed retail brand preferences, rendering them unpersuadable to try new ones. As such, advertising revenues fell, a scenario not helped by the [[1973-75 recession|severe economic recession occurring in late 1974]]. ''Jeopardy!'' became the seventh show since 1968 to fall at 1:30{{nbsp}}p.m. EST (12:30{{nbsp}}p.m. CST), and a cancellation notice was issued by November 1974. Its replacement was the expansion of ''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]'' to a full hour, the first daytime serial to expand to that duration; in April 1975, another serial, ''[[Days of Our Lives]]'' began occupying that time slot and eventually brought success to NBC there (''Days'' moved exclusively to the network streaming service [[Peacock (streaming service)|Peacock]] in September 2022, with ''[[NBC News Daily]]'' airing in its 1:30{{nbsp}}p.m. EST (12:30{{nbsp}}p.m. CST) timeslot.). ''Jeopardy!'' broadcast the 2,753rd and final episode of its original network run on January 3, 1975.<ref>David Schwartz, Steve Ryan & Fred Wostbrock, ''The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows'', 3rd Ed., Checkmark Books, 1999, p. 113.</ref> Some affiliates, including [[KNBC]] in Los Angeles, aired reruns in various other timeslots through the first quarter of that year. To compensate Griffin for canceling the program, which still had a year left on its contract, NBC purchased ''[[Wheel of Fortune (American game show)|Wheel of Fortune]]'', another creation of his, which premiered on January 6, 1975 (the following Monday) at 10:30{{nbsp}}a.m. Eastern (9:30 Central).

===Weekly syndicated version (1974–1975)===
Griffin secured the rights from NBC to produce new episodes for first-run [[television syndication|syndication]], with [[Metromedia]] (who also syndicated Griffin's popular [[The Merv Griffin Show|talk show]]) as their distributor. Griffin took this action mainly to keep the show in production in light of the show's deteriorating ratings on NBC daytime that eventually led to the 1975 cancellation. NBC had repeatedly refused Griffin's requests to do so in the past. These episodes began airing weekly in September 1974 and featured many contestants who were previous champions on the NBC version. Thirty-nine episodes were produced, with reruns of this version also airing in syndication through about summer 1975. Most stations aired this during the [[Prime Time Access Rule|Prime Time Access]] slots in the early evening before network primetime programming began, usually in a "checkerboard" pattern with other weekly shows, meaning a different syndicated show aired each night, like the networks in prime time. By 1974, though, the market was flooded with evening versions of network games like the ''Hollywood Squares'' and ''[[The Price Is Right]],'' and ''Jeopardy!,'' already on a popularity downswing for some time, did not get anywhere near nationwide clearance, thus dooming it to failure after one season.

Unique to this version was a bonus awarded at the end of the program, after Final Jeopardy! was completed. The episode's champion selected a prize hidden behind the thirty squares on the ''Jeopardy!'' board. Among the prizes was a $25,000 cash award which was hidden behind two squares. In order to win the top prize, the champion had to find both $25,000 cards in succession (winning the prize on a second pick if it was not the latter half of the grand prize). In later episodes, the bonus board was dropped and the evening's champion received a prize based upon his or her final score, with a [[Chevrolet Vega]] or [[Chevrolet Caprice]] (or even additional cash prizes of $10,000 or $25,000) as possibilities.

===''The All-New Jeopardy!'' (1978–1979)===
Launching on October 2, 1978, the revived ''Jeopardy!'' took the spot of the soap opera ''[[Lovers and Friends|For Richer, For Poorer]]'' on NBC's daytime schedule and initially aired weekdays at 10:30{{nbsp}}a.m. From its debut until January 5, 1979, ''Jeopardy!'' aired against the first half-hour of the hit show ''[[The Price Is Right]]'', which aired on CBS. As such, the show found itself unable to build an audience.

On January 8, 1979, NBC moved ''Jeopardy!'' from 10:30{{nbsp}}a.m. to noon, the time slot the original series had occupied and done well in for many years. However, the television climate in 1979 was much different than it was in the 1960s and early 1970s. The 12:00{{nbsp}}p.m. hour was one that network affiliates often chose to preempt in favor of showing other programming such as a midday local newscast or a syndicated offering such as another game show or a talk show. In markets that did air ''Jeopardy!'' at noon, the show found itself losing the ratings battle against ''[[Pyramid (game show)|The $20,000 Pyramid]]'' on ABC and ''[[The Young and the Restless]]'' on CBS, two shows that, ironically enough, had competed against the original in 1974 and 1973, respectively. NBC decided to pull the plug on the revived ''Jeopardy!'' series shortly after the move, and its 108th and final episode aired on March 2, 1979. Its place on the schedule was taken by ''[[Password Plus]]'', which at the time had been airing at 12:30{{nbsp}}p.m., and the cancellation allowed NBC to expand its top-rated soap opera, ''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]'', to ninety minutes from sixty, later in the afternoon.

Originating from the [[NBC Studios (Burbank)|NBC Studios]] in [[Burbank, California]],<ref name="eotvgs">{{cite encyclopedia|last = Schwartz|first = David|author2=Steve Ryan |author3=Fred Wostbrock |encyclopedia = The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows|title = Jeopardy!|edition = 3rd|year = 1999|publisher = Facts on File|isbn = 0-8160-3847-3|pages = 112}}</ref> this version featured some unique gameplay elements of its own. In the most notable of these elements, the lowest scoring contestant was eliminated from further play after the Jeopardy! round.<ref name="j78-finale">Merv Griffin Productions. ''The All-New Jeopardy!''. Final episode. Starring Art Fleming. Featuring Charlie, Susan, and Doug. March 2, 1979.</ref> The remaining two contestants played the Double Jeopardy! round. In a second major change, no Final Jeopardy! round was played. Instead, the leader at the end of Double Jeopardy! was declared the day's champion.<ref name="j78-finale"/>

Most notable among the changes, Final Jeopardy! was replaced with a bonus game called Super Jeopardy!, played for a cash bonus. The round consisted of five categories (instead of six as in the main game), each with five clues numbered 1 to 5. The object of the round was to answer five questions to create a [[Bingo (American version)|horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line]] on the board.<ref name="j78-finale"/> Contestants had to create the line before accumulating three strikes, which were given if a contestant either failed to respond (passing was not allowed without penalty) or gave an incorrect answer.<ref name="j78-finale"/> If the contestant struck out, $100 was awarded for each correct answer given, but if the contestant was successful, he/she won $5,000.<ref name="j78-finale"/> For each successive time a champion played the Super Jeopardy! round, regardless of whether or not the contestant had won the round the day before, he/she played for $2,500 more than he/she had the previous time—a second trip was played for $7,500, a third $10,000, a fourth $12,500, and a fifth and final trip $15,000. A contestant could earn $50,000 from Super Jeopardy! alone, provided that the contestant won each Super Jeopardy! round over a five-day reign as champion.<ref name="j78-premiere">Merv Griffin Productions.  ''The All-New Jeopardy!''. Premiere episode. Starring Art Fleming. Featuring Jim, Richard, and Emily. October 2, 1978.</ref>

Fleming later stated that he disagreed with moving the show to southern California, as he considered the contestants there to not be as appealing as those who played the game in New York were. He cited it as one of the main reasons he did not return to the series when it was revived five years later.<ref name="autogenerated89">''[https://www.si.com/vault/1989/05/01/119810/television-for-1000-the-worlds-toughest-game-show-what-is-jeopardy- What is Jeopardy!?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827165803/https://www.si.com/vault/1989/05/01/119810/television-for-1000-the-worlds-toughest-game-show-what-is-jeopardy- |date=August 27, 2017 }}'', 05.01.89 – ''Sports Illustrated''</ref>

==Daily Syndication (1984–present)==
Following the success of the nighttime syndicated version of ''Wheel'' which had premiered in 1983,<ref>{{cite web|title="Wheel of Fortune," "Jeopardy!" Merv Griffin's True TV Legacy |url=http://www.tvweek.com/news/2007/08/merv_griffin_jeopardy_wheel_of.php |first=Tom|last=Gilbert |date=August 19, 2007 |publisher=TVWeek News |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205140623/http://www.tvweek.com/news/2007/08/merv_griffin_jeopardy_wheel_of.php |archive-date=December 5, 2010 }}</ref> Griffin sold a new syndicated version of ''Jeopardy!'' to its same distributor, [[King World Productions]] (which much later folded into CBS Television Distribution, now [[CBS Media Ventures]]). This version introduced updated technology to the program, replacing the former manually operated game board featuring clues printed on pull cards with television monitors to display clues. One significant difference from the 1964 to 1975 versions was that only the winning contestant kept his or her earnings, while the runners-up were awarded higher-end consolation prizes instead (changed in later years to $3,000 for second place and $2,000 for third). After Fleming declined to return to the show because of his dissatisfaction with the changes, Griffin took the advice of [[Lucille Ball]], who recommended [[Alex Trebek]] for the position.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/17/books/alex-trebek-jeopardy-the-answer-is.html|title=Alex Trebek Is Still in the Game|first=Alexandra|last=Alter|work=The New York Times|date=July 17, 2020|access-date=July 19, 2020}}</ref> Trebek, in turn, recommended [[Johnny Gilbert]], whom he had met at a dinner party a few years prior, for the announcer position.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/07/arts/television/alex-trebek-jeopardy-johnny-gilbert.html|title=On Alex Trebek's Final 'Jeopardy!,' a Last Introduction From a Friend|first=Julia|last=Jacobs|work=The New York Times|date=January 7, 2021|access-date=January 7, 2021}}</ref>

The Trebek version debuted September 10, 1984.<ref name="Richmond">{{cite book|last = Richmond|first = Ray|title = This is Jeopardy!: Celebrating America's Favorite Quiz Show|publisher = Barnes & Noble Books|location = New York|year = 2004|pages = [https://archive.org/details/thisisjeopardyce0000rich/page/12 12, 15, 33]|isbn = 0-7607-5374-1|url = https://archive.org/details/thisisjeopardyce0000rich/page/12}}</ref> Trebek continued to host the program until his death in November 2020,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wvnstv.com/news/local-news/jeopardy-host-alex-trebek-dead-at-80-tmz-reports/|title=Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek dead at 80|access-date=November 8, 2020|date=November 8, 2020|work=[[WVNS-TV]]}}</ref> with his final recorded episode airing January 8, 2021;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/jeopardy-around-world-alex-trebek-2-weeks/|title='Jeopardy!' Celebrates Alex Trebek: 2 Weeks of 'Around the World' Episodes Start Monday|first=Margeaux|last=Sippell|work=The Wrap|date=December 17, 2020|access-date=December 19, 2020}}</ref> a series of guest hosts helmed the series for the remainder of that season. [[Michael G. Richards|Mike Richards]], the show's executive producer, was named host prior to start of the 2021–22 season but resigned after the first week of episodes when a string of controversies emerged after Richards's hiring; [[Mayim Bialik]] and [[Ken Jennings]] (the latter being a consulting producer and prominent former contestant) rotated as host from then<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/mike-richards-jeopardy-host-out-1234999713/|title=Mike Richards Out as ''Jeopardy!'' Host|work=Hollywood Reporter|date=August 20, 2021|access-date=August 20, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2022/07/jeopardy-mayim-bialik-ken-jennings-deals-season-39-hosting-schedule-celebrity-jeopardy-abc-1235079138/|title='Jeopardy!': Mayim Bialik & Ken Jennings Close Deals To Return, Season 39 Hosting Schedule Revealed|work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|author=Nellie Andreeva|date=July 27, 2022|access-date=July 27, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/mayim-bialik-ken-jennings-jeopardy-1235327403/|title=Mayim Bialik, Ken Jennings to Host Expanded 'Jeopardy' Franchise|author=Brian Steinberg|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=July 27, 2022|access-date=July 27, 2022}}</ref> until Bialik [[2023 Hollywood labor disputes|went on strike in summer 2023]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Herz |first=Jane |date=August 30, 2023 |title=Mayim Bialik 'unlikely' to return to 'Jeopardy!' this year: report |url=https://nypost.com/2023/08/30/mayim-bialik-unlikely-to-return-to-jeopardy-this-year-report/ |access-date=September 1, 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref> and was dismissed from her role in December of that year, leaving Jennings the permanent host.<ref>{{Cite web |last=White |first=Peter |date=December 16, 2023 |title=Mayim Bialik Out As 'Jeopardy!' Host |url=https://deadline.com/2023/12/mayim-bialik-exits-jeopardy-1235669885/ |access-date=December 16, 2023 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=J. Kim |date=December 16, 2023 |title=Mayim Bialik Won't Return as 'Jeopardy!' Host |url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/mayim-bialik-leaving-jeopardy-1235841706/ |access-date=December 16, 2023 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Early years===
Initially, ''Jeopardy!'' was relegated by managers of some television stations to unpopular time slots, and it was not unusual for both ''Jeopardy!'' and ''Wheel'' to air either non-consecutively, on different stations, or even against each other. However, the new version built upon early ratings successes in [[Cleveland]] and Detroit, where it was slotted in the same 7:00–8:00{{nbsp}}p.m. block (the [[Prime Time Access Rule|Prime Time access hour]]) in which ''Wheel'' also appeared.<ref name="Eisenberg1">{{cite book|last = Eisenberg|first = Harry|title = Inside "Jeopardy!": What Really Goes on at TV's Top Quiz Show|publisher = Northwest Publishing, Inc.|location = Salt Lake City|year = 1993|pages = 52–53|isbn = 1-56901-177-X}}</ref> Coinciding with the peak of popularity for the board game ''[[Trivial Pursuit]]'' and the installation of electronic trivia games (e.g. [[NTN Buzztime]]) in pubs and bars,<ref>Ken Jennings examines the waves of American trivia mania in his book, and points to 1984 as a zenith for the phenomenon. {{cite book|last = Jennings|first = Ken|title = Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs|pages = [https://archive.org/details/brainiac00kenj/page/215 215, 220]|publisher = Random House|location = New York|year = 2006|isbn = 1-4000-6445-7|url-access = registration|url = https://archive.org/details/brainiac00kenj/page/215}}</ref> ''Jeopardy!'' was slowly becoming a major success despite some markets still airing it in unfavorable time slots. One such market was New York City, the largest in the United States. There, King World sold its new show to [[WNBC]], which had been the [[flagship (broadcasting)|flagship]] of the original ''Jeopardy!''. When it premiered in the fall of 1984, ''Jeopardy!'' initially aired at 1:30{{nbsp}}a.m. on WNBC, following ''[[Late Night with David Letterman]]''.

Although the series was indeed proving to be a hit, its late timeslot in the country's largest media market began to concern its distributor. Even though Letterman's show and ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]'' were strong ratings winners and ''Jeopardy!'' was able to retain a good amount of the audience from its lead-in shows, a late-night timeslot is not usually considered beneficial for a first-run series, cutting out younger audiences with obligations to school or college, and older viewers. WNBC's more favorable [[fringe time]] and [[daytime television in the United States|daytime]] slots were all filled with other programming, a situation that was also true at all of the other major stations in the city; [[WABC-TV|WABC]] and [[WCBS-TV|WCBS]] also cleared their networks' schedules completely and had other programming, including other long-running syndicated game shows and reruns, filing the holes in their schedules, as did independents [[WNYW|WNEW-TV]], [[WWOR-TV|WOR-TV]] and [[WPIX]], which also carried cartoons in addition to reruns. In addition, CBS and ABC at the time were still airing network programming until 4:30&nbsp;p.m. Eastern, with ABC airing the long-running soap opera ''[[The Edge of Night]]'' and CBS running the game show ''[[Body Language (game show)|Body Language]]''.

On October 26, 1984, several weeks into ''Jeopardy!''’s first season, [[Procter & Gamble Productions]] announced that it would cease production of ''The Edge of Night'' after 28 years and that ABC would no longer offer regular programming in the timeslot, with ''Edge's'' last episode airing December 28. King World went to WABC, who now had an open spot on its schedule it needed to fill, and the two struck an agreement to move ''Jeopardy!'' to the station beginning December 31, 1984. WABC has aired ''Jeopardy!'' in the New York market ever since, initially in the 4:00&nbsp;p.m. time slot. The switch helped more viewers find ''Jeopardy!,'' since they no longer had to stay up past midnight to see it.

In Los Angeles, [[KCBS-TV]] picked up ''Jeopardy!'' to air at 4:00&nbsp;p.m. as a lead-in to its local news at 4:30&nbsp;p.m.<!--per TiVoCommunity Forum discussion thread in this link: https://www.tivocommunity.com/community/index.php?threads/jeopardy-just-noticed-this.505163/page-122 --> Five weeks later, however, due to low ratings, KCBS replaced ''Jeopardy!'' with reruns of ''[[Quincy, M.E.]]''.<ref>[https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/55652/brief-history-jeopardy A Brief History of ''Jeopardy!''] ''Mental Floss''; March 26, 2014 (Retrieved October 12, 2020)</ref> Effective January 7, 1985, ''Jeopardy!'' was picked up by then-[[Independent station (North America)|independent station]] [[KCOP-TV]], where it was paired with ''Wheel of Fortune''. ''Jeopardy!'' later returned to KCBS on September 4, 1989, along with ''Wheel''.<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-09-04-ca-1220-story.html Battling It Out in Syndication : THE NEW TV SEASON : Joan Is Back; ‘Jeopardy’ and ‘Wheel’ on KCBS] ''Los Angeles Times'', September 4, 1989 (Retrieved October 12, 2020)</ref> Then three years later, both game shows were picked up by [[KABC-TV]], where they remain since then.<ref>[https://variety.com/1992/tv/news/moyer-less-kabc-l-a-news-king-101675/ Moyer-less KABC L.A. news king] ''Variety.com'', November 30, 1992 (Retrieved October 12, 2020)</ref>

===Prime Time Access shakeup===
WABC added ''[[The Oprah Winfrey Show|Oprah]]'' to its lineup in the fall of 1986, and placed it at 10:00&nbsp;a.m., following its locally produced talk show ''[[Live with Kelly and Ryan|The Morning Show]]''. Having its roots in a local morning show at WABC's [[WLS-TV|sister station]] in Chicago, ''Oprah'' was an immediate success and in December 1986, WABC decided to move it to the 4:00&nbsp;p.m. timeslot. The move, which turned out to be permanent as ''Oprah'' remained at 4:00&nbsp;p.m. for the next 24-plus years, displaced the game shows airing there; ''Jeopardy!'' at 4:00&nbsp;p.m. and a syndicated edition of [[Card Sharks]], hosted by [[Bill Rafferty]] at 4:30. Like previous shows that aired in the 4:30&nbsp;p.m. slot following ''Jeopardy!'', ''Card Sharks'' proved unable to retain a good percentage of its lead-in's audience, and WABC moved it to 12:05&nbsp;a.m. following ''[[Nightline]]''. Moving ''Jeopardy!'' to a similar slot was not an option due to its success in the ratings, and all other non-network slots were spoken for. WABC, however, had another idea.

At the time, and like its major competitors, WABC aired an hour of local news at 6:00&nbsp;p.m. and followed it with their network's national newscast, in this case ''[[ABC World News Tonight|World News Tonight]]'', at 7:00&nbsp;p.m.. The 7:30&nbsp;p.m. slot was filled by a syndicated revival of ''[[Hollywood Squares]]'', hosted by [[John Davidson (entertainer)|John Davidson]] which debuted in the fall of 1986, and was performing well for WABC against the immensely popular ''Wheel of Fortune'' on WCBS. Seeing those ratings, WABC thought it could draw equal or better ratings with ''Jeopardy!'' in the 7:00 p.m slot. ABC did not require its stations to air ''World News Tonight'' at a specific time, giving WABC the freedom to make the move if it wanted.

On December 15, 1986, the same day ''Oprah'' moved to 4:00{{nbsp}}p.m., WABC reduced the 6:00{{nbsp}}p.m. broadcast of ''Eyewitness News'' by 30 minutes and moved ''World News Tonight'' to 6:30, with ''Jeopardy!'' airing at 7:00 and ''Squares'' following it at 7:30. To alert viewers to the timeslot changes, WABC launched an advertising campaign entitled "Prime Time Begins At 7 On 7".<ref>{{cite news|title=Redefining Prime Time: It's All in Who You Ask|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/11/arts/redefining-prime-time-it-s-all-in-who-you-ask.html|last=Belkin|first=Lisa|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=August 11, 1987|access-date=January 19, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100818032451/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/11/arts/redefining-prime-time-it-s-all-in-who-you-ask.html|archive-date=August 18, 2010}}</ref> In addition, WABC filled part of Oprah's vacated 10:00{{nbsp}}a.m. slot with a repeat of the previous evening's broadcast of ''Jeopardy!'' until September 1987. The move produced a ratings win in both the 6:30 and 7:00{{nbsp}}p.m. time slots, as ''World News Tonight'' also benefited from the switch; this, along with the rise of WABC's ''Eyewitness News'' in the New York ratings books, paved the way for WABC to become the most-watched television station in the New York market.

Eventually, WCBS and WNBC capitulated, and their networks' respective national newscasts moved to 6:30{{nbsp}}p.m. as well.<ref>Eisenberg, first edition, page 54.</ref> After moving the ''[[CBS Evening News]]'' to 6:30{{nbsp}}p.m. in the fall of 1988, WCBS picked up a syndicated edition of the NBC game show ''[[Win, Lose or Draw]]'' to air at 7:00{{nbsp}}p.m. as a lead-in for ''Wheel'', while WNBC, (which eventually moved ''[[NBC Nightly News]]'' to 6:30 in 1991), eventually began airing [[newsmagazines]] (such as ''[[Inside Edition]]'') and a new syndicated version of ''[[Family Feud]]'', hosted by [[Ray Combs]], (who also hosted the show's daytime revival on CBS) in the half-hour prior to prime time.<ref>{{cite news|title=Television – A Debate Heats Up: Is It News or Entertainment?|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/15/arts/television-a-debate-heats-up-is-it-news-or-entertainment.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm|last=Scardino|first=Albert|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 15, 1989|access-date=January 19, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=NBC 'Nightly News' To Move to 6:30 From 7
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/13/news/nbc-nightly-news-to-move-to-6-30-from-7.html|last=Carter|first=Bill|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 13, 1991|access-date=February 7, 2025}}</ref>

WABC has aired ''Jeopardy!'' at 7:00 ever since, though the same lead-out issues plagued the station. ''Squares'''s ratings declined in the 1987-88 season and ''[[Entertainment Tonight]]'', which had been airing the previous two seasons on [[WWOR-TV]], (the former WOR-TV that had been sold the previous year in the midst of an unrelated [[RKO General|ownership dispute]]), replaced ''Squares'' as the ''Jeopardy!'' lead-out in the fall of 1988; ''Squares'' would air on [[WPIX-TV|WPIX]] for the 1988-89 season, which turned out to be its last. In 1990, '' Entertainment Tonight'' and ''Wheel of Fortune'' swapped stations, as WCBS had opted to air newsmagazine and entertainment programming in the early fringe timeslot; ''Jeopardy!'' and ''Wheel'' have remained on WABC ever since.

WABC's successful access hour move eventually resulted in many Eastern and Pacific Time Zone network affiliates moving their network newscasts to 6:30{{nbsp}}p.m. While affiliates in the Central and Mountain time zones generally program ''Wheel'' at 6:30&nbsp;p.m., however, ''Jeopardy!'' largely airs in late afternoon (and in some cases, morning) timeslots, as these stations typically air local newscasts in the half-hour following their networks' respective national ones.

''Jeopardy!'' has since become a staple syndicated show for ABC's [[ABC Owned Television Stations|owned-and-operated station group]], and seven of its eight stations (WABC, [[KABC-TV|KABC]]/Los Angeles, [[WLS-TV|WLS]]/Chicago, [[WPVI-TV|WPVI]]/Philadelphia, [[KGO-TV|KGO]]/San Francisco, [[WTVD]]/Raleigh-Durham and [[KFSN-TV|KFSN]]/Fresno) have carried the show along with ''Wheel'' since 1992. The only exception has long been [[KTRK-TV|KTRK]] in Houston, which had never carried both game shows in part due to an hour-long newscast in the Prime Time Access hour where ''Wheel'' is normally seen (and whose hour-long newscast predated parent company [[Capital Cities/ABC Inc.|Capital Cities]]' acquisition of ABC in 1986); both game shows have aired on different Houston stations: first on NBC affiliate [[KPRC-TV|KPRC]] from their respective start dates until 1986, and then to CBS affiliate [[KHOU-TV|KHOU]] which also carried ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' over its entire run (making KTRK the only ABC owned-and-operated station that never carried ''Oprah'' over its 25-year run). However, on September 14, 2015, KTRK began airing ''Jeopardy!'', making it the last ABC-owned station to do so, though ''Wheel of Fortune'' continues to air on KHOU, as KTRK still carries an hour-long block of local newscasts (both separate half-hour newscasts, for ratings purposes) in the 6:00{{nbsp}}p.m. access hour.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Jeopardy! moves to KTRK abc13 from KHOU 11 after many decades|url = http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2015/08/jeopardy-moves-to-ktrk-abc13-from-khou-11.html|website = mikemcguff.com|date = August 25, 2015|access-date = September 2, 2015|first = Mike|last = Mcguff}}</ref>

===Transition to high definition===

On September 11, 2006, with the start of Season 23, ''Jeopardy!'' began broadcasting in [[High-definition television|high definition]]. King World and production company [[Sony Pictures Television]] indicated that as of August 10, 2006, some 49 of the 210 stations that carried the show at that time were prepared for the transition. Sony uses the [[1080i]] HD format to record the show, but since ''Jeopardy!'' is syndicated, stations using the [[720p]] format had to manually transcode the show from an HD satellite feed before broadcasting it. This issue was remedied with the introduction of the Pathfire satellite system for high-definition syndicated content distribution.<ref>{{cite web|title=Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy break new HD ground: Behind the scenes |last=MacIntyre |first=April |date=September 14, 2006 |url=http://smallscreen.monstersandcritics.com/features/article_1201537.php/Wheel_of_Fortune_and_Jeopardy_break_new_HD_ground_Behind_the_scenes |access-date=September 17, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061221092438/http://smallscreen.monstersandcritics.com/features/article_1201537.php/Wheel_of_Fortune_and_Jeopardy_break_new_HD_ground_Behind_the_scenes |archive-date=December 21, 2006 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = Syndication Ready for HD Boost: Pathfire System Capable of HD Delivery|last = Hibberd|first = James|url = http://www.tvweek.com/news/2007/04/syndication_ready_for_hd_boost.php|date = April 19, 2007|access-date = September 17, 2007|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090116040818/http://www.tvweek.com/news/2007/04/syndication_ready_for_hd_boost.php|archive-date = January 16, 2009|url-status = dead}}</ref>

===Ratings and critical reception===
Since its debut, the syndicated version of ''Jeopardy!'' has gone on to win sixteen [[Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Show|Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Show]], achieving this honor most recently in 2017, and today it holds the record as the most honored program in this Emmy award category.<ref name="Jeopardy Emmys">{{cite web|url=http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/jeopardy/showguide/abouttheshow/showhistory/ |title=''Jeopardy!''—Did You Know... |access-date=September 16, 2008 |quote=Since its 1984 syndication debut, ''Jeopardy!'' has been honored with 30 Daytime Emmy Awards, more than any other syndicated game show. Thirteen Emmys have been awarded for Outstanding Game Show/Audience Participation. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091006001751/http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/jeopardy/showguide/abouttheshow/showhistory/ |archive-date=October 6, 2009 }}</ref>

The show was the subject of great interest and increased ratings (often out-performing ''Wheel'' and even some primetime programs) in the early portions of the 2004–05 season as contestant [[Ken Jennings]], taking advantage of newly relaxed appearance rules, won 74 matches before being defeated by Nancy Zerg in his 75th appearance. He amassed $2,520,700 over the course of his winning streak, as well as a $2,000 second-place prize in his 75th appearance, thus earning the record as the [[American game show winnings records#All-time top 25 winnings list|highest money-winner ever on American game shows]], and his winning streak led the show to become TV's highest-rated syndicated program.<ref>{{Cite press release | title=''Jeopardy!'' Streak Over: Ken Jennings Loses in 75th Game, Takes Home a Record-Setting $2,520,700 | url=http://www.kingworld.com/release/jennings_113004.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928190251/http://www.kingworld.com/release/jennings_113004.html | archive-date=September 28, 2007 | publisher = King World | date=November 30, 2004 | access-date=March 7, 2007}}</ref>

===Renewals and rerun deals===

On January 2, 2007, one third of the subscribing stations originally renewed ''Jeopardy!'' through Season 28 (2011–12),<ref>{{cite press release|publisher=King World |date=January 2, 2007 |url=http://www.kingworld.com/PressRelease.aspx?pressReleaseID=242 |title='WHEEL OF FORTUNE' AND 'JEOPARDY!' RENEWED THROUGH 2011–2012: Syndication's #1 show and #2 game show cleared by ABC, CBS, Post-Newsweek, Hearst-Argyle and Sinclair station |access-date=January 2, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071120054628/http://www.kingworld.com/PressRelease.aspx?pressReleaseID=242 |archive-date=November 20, 2007 }}</ref> but by April 8, 2010, ''Jeopardy!'' was given an additional two-year renewal through Season 30 (2013–14).<ref>{{cite web|website=The Futon Critic|date=April 8, 2010|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2010/04/08/wheel-of-fortune-and-jeopardy-renewed-through-2014-35254/20100408cbs03/|title="Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!" Renewed Through 2014|access-date=December 10, 2011}}</ref> Then in 2012, Trebek and ''Wheel'' personalities [[Pat Sajak]] and [[Vanna White]] renewed their respective contracts when the shows' ABC-owned affiliates renewed both game shows through the 2015–16 season.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=''Wheel of Fortune'' And ''Jeopardy!'' Renewed On ABC Stations Through 2016 |url=https://deadline.com/2012/10/wheel-of-fortune-jeopardy-renewed-abc-stations-2016-361564/ |magazine=Deadline Hollywood |date=October 29, 2012 |access-date=January 15, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130321022506/http://www.deadline.com/2012/10/wheel-of-fortune-jeopardy-renewed-abc-stations-2016/ |archive-date=March 21, 2013 }}</ref>

In November 2018, the ABC-owned-and-operated stations renewed their agreement to carry ''Wheel'' and ''Jeopardy!'' through 2023, rebuffing a larger contract offer from [[Fox Corporation]].<ref name=variety2019renewal>{{cite web|first=Cynthia|last=Littleton|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title=ABC Shells Out to Keep 'Wheel of Fortune' and 'Jeopardy' After Big Offer From Fox|url=https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/wheel-of-fortune-jeopardy-abc-fox-cbs-1203019794/|access-date=November 21, 2019|date=November 5, 2018}}</ref> CBS has long viewed stability as key to the shows' success, desiring to keep the shows on ABC stations to maintain continuity; it has declined to move the shows to [[CBS Television Stations|its own owned-and-operated station group]] for the same reason it rejected Fox's bid.<ref name=variety2019renewal/>

Since the mid-2010s, [[CBS Media Ventures]] has offered stations up to two episodes of ''Jeopardy!'' to air each weekday: the first run (which airs new episodes from September to July), and a "classic ''Jeopardy!''" package consisting of episodes from the previous year.<ref>[http://www.buffalobroadcasters.com/news/Industry-News:--Buffalo-number-one-market-for-NBC-hockey-broadcasts/34 Industry News: Revised radio ratings with public stations numbers] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923195058/http://www.buffalobroadcasters.com/news/Industry-News%3A--Buffalo-number-one-market-for-NBC-hockey-broadcasts/34 |date=September 23, 2015 }}. ''Buffalo Broadcasters Association'' (April 27, 2015). Retrieved April 27, 2015.</ref>

As of December 2023, every [[TV market]] in the U.S., except for [[Glendive, Montana#Media|Glendive, Montana]], has a local TV station that airs the program: [[NBC]] affiliates constitute a plurality of the stations, while [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliates reach the most viewers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jeopardy! - where and when it's seen |url=https://jeopardy.mattcarberry.com/stations.html |access-date=December 19, 2023 |website=jeopardy.mattcarberry.com}}</ref> Some local TV stations which carry ''Jeopardy!'' also hold in-market on-demand streaming rights to the five most recent episodes, subject to technical capability. For example, [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]]'s [[Stirr]] service began to carry the program in the markets where Sinclair stations air the program, such as Washington, D.C. ([[WJLA-TV|WJLA]]) and Seattle ([[KOMO-TV|KOMO]]), from late 2020 until Sinclair sold Stirr off to another company.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nexttv.com/news/sinclairs-stirr-streaming-alex-trebeks-last-jeopardy-shows|title=Sinclair's Stirr Streaming Alex Trebek's Last 'Jeopardy!' Shows|first=Jon|last=Lafayette|work=[[Broadcasting & Cable]]|date=January 8, 2021|access-date=January 12, 2021}}</ref> Under the terms of the agreement, individual stations have a 24-hour window in which they can stream the program in-market, after which the rights revert to Sony.<ref name=streamingnews/>

Outside of the U.S., ''Jeopardy!'' airs on the [[American Forces Network]], and Canadian stations [[Yes TV]], [[CHEK-DT|CHEK]] and [[CJON-TV|NTV]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=YES TV Production |url=https://www.yestv.com/show/jeopardy |access-date=December 3, 2022 |website=www.yestv.com}}</ref> Australian TV network [[SBS Viceland]] airs former episodes with Trebek still as host, but in 2024 they will air episodes with Ken Jennings as host.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 1, 2023 |title=2024 Upfronts: SBS Food, SBS VICELAND, SBS World Movies. {{!}} TV Tonight |url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2023/11/2024-upfronts-sbs-food-sbs-viceland-sbs-world-movies.html |access-date=December 19, 2023 |website=TV Tonight |language=en-AU}}</ref>

Archival episode rights were most recently held by [[Pluto TV]], which like CBS Media Ventures is owned by [[Paramount Global|Paramount]]. Pluto launched a continuous linear channel of episodes from the Trebek era in August 2022.<ref name=jeponpluto>{{cite news |last1=Adalian |first1=Josef |title=You'll Soon Be Able to Get a 24/7 Stream of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune |url=https://www.vulture.com/2022/07/pluto-tv-streaming-jeopardy-wheel-of-fortune-24-7.html |access-date=July 11, 2022 |work=[[Vulture.com|Vulture]] |publisher=New York Magazine |date=July 11, 2022}}</ref> The Pluto deal covers 500 episodes of the series spanning most of Trebek's hosting run, with an emphasis on major tournaments.<ref name=jeponpluto/> The Pluto deal with Jeopardy! expired after two years, at the end of July 2024, ahead of a new streaming agreement yet to be announced.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Holmes |first=Martin |date=August 2, 2024 |title='Jeopardy!' & 'Wheel of Fortune' Axed From Pluto – Fans Are Fuming |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/1146445/jeopardy-wheel-of-fortune-pluto-price-is-right/ |access-date=August 31, 2024 |website=TV Insider |language=en-US}}</ref> Select episodes of ''Jeopardy!'' had been available intermittently on [[Netflix]] until August 2021; the agreement with Pluto allows Sony to continue selling episodes of the series to subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) providers.<ref name=jeponpluto/> In 2024, host Ken Jennings indicated that Sony was in negotiations with [[Hulu]] (which, like ABC, is owned by [[The Walt Disney Company]]) and [[Amazon Prime Video]] (the home of an upcoming spinoff ''[[Pop Culture Jeopardy!]]'') to bring next-day streaming to an SVOD platform by September 2025; executive producer Michael Davies also noted that the show had no plans of ever leaving broadcast television.<ref name=streamingnews>{{Cite web |last=Lusk |first=Darian |date=November 6, 2024 |title='Jeopardy!': Ken Jennings Drops Big Streaming News |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/1160723/jeopardy-ken-jennings-streaming-news/ |access-date=November 8, 2024 |website=TV Insider |language=en-US}}</ref>

In June 2025, Sony announced that the show would stream new episodes next day on both Hulu and [[Peacock (streaming service)|Peacock]] beginning with the shows 42nd season in September 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schneider |first=Michael |date=2025-06-03 |title=‘Wheel of Fortune,’ ‘Jeopardy’ to Stream Next Day for the First Time Starting This September, on Peacock and Hulu |url=https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/wheel-of-fortune-jeopardy-stream-hulu-peacock-september-1236417105/ |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Paramount-Sony dispute===
In October 2024, Sony Pictures Television sued CBS parent company Paramount Global, alleging the company had entered into unauthorized licensing deals in Australia and New Zealand while pocketing all of the revenue. Sony also alleged that CBS engaged in self-dealing and underpriced the syndication package by forcing television stations to accept other, less popular shows from CBS's own production companies, also alleging that keeping the stations on ABC-owned stations while CBS's own stations aired ''Entertainment Tonight'' was further evidence of Sony being cheated. In a counterresponse, Paramount claimed that the original agreement with King World "decades ago" granted the syndicator distribution rights "in perpetuity" meaning that Sony could not seek other syndicators, and surmised that it was suing because "they simply don't like" it.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maddaus |first=Gene |date=October 31, 2024 |title=Sony Sues CBS for Self-Dealing on 'Wheel of Fortune' and 'Jeopardy!' |url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/wheel-of-fortune-jeopardy-sony-sues-cbs-lawsuit-1236196675/ |access-date=November 1, 2024 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> Paramount countersued Sony to that effect in November.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Porter |first=Rick |date=November 26, 2024 |title=CBS Countersues Sony Over 'Jeopardy!,' 'Wheel of Fortune' Licenses |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/cbs-countersues-sony-jeopardy-wheel-of-fortune-rights-1236072075/ |access-date=December 7, 2024 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref>

Sony Pictures Television announced on February 3, 2025, that that week's episodes of ''Jeopardy!'' and ''Wheel of Fortune'' would be the last ones it would feed to CBS Media Ventures and that it would begin distributing episodes of those shows directly to affiliates beginning with the week of February 10.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Porter |first=Rick |title=Sony Escalates 'Jeopardy!'-'Wheel of Fortune' Beef With CBS |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=February 3, 2025 |language=en-US}}</ref> CBS sought and received a [[restraining order]] blocking Sony from doing so on February 6.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maddaus |first=Gene |date=February 6, 2025 |title=CBS Blocks Sony From Canceling Lucrative ‘Jeopardy’ and ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Deals |url=https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/cbs-sony-jeopardy-wheel-of-fortune-restraining-order-1236299197/ |access-date=February 7, 2025 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> However, on April 10, it was reported that the court had ruled in favor of Sony, thus resulting in CBS losing the distribution rights. CBS then confirmed they would submit an appeal immediately, which would get accepted on April 16 thus giving them the distribution rights back.<ref>{{Cite web |last=White |first=Peter |date=April 10, 2025 |title=‘Jeopardy!’ & ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Legal Shocker: CBS Loses Out To Sony In Court Battle Over Rights To Distribute Game Shows |url=https://deadline.com/2025/04/jeopardy-wheel-of-fortune-cbs-court-battle-sony-1236365771/ |access-date=April 10, 2025 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Patten |first=Dominic |date=April 16, 2025 |title=Sony’s Short-Lived Control Of ‘Jeopardy!’ & ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ Over For Now As CBS Scores Appeal Court Win |url=https://deadline.com/2025/04/jeopardy-wheel-of-fortune-rights-legal-battle-1236370301/ |access-date=April 16, 2025 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Spin-off programs==
=== ''Jep!'' ===
{{main|Jep!}}
''Jep!'', a children's version of the show, aired first on [[Game Show Network]] (now known by its abbreviated name, "GSN") throughout the 1998–99 season, and then on [[Discovery Kids]] through late 2004. It was hosted by cartoon voice actor [[Bob Bergen]], and produced by Scott Sternberg who had earlier produced a children's version of ''Wheel'', titled ''[[Wheel 2000]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Schwartz|first1=David|last2=Ryan|first2=Steve|last3=Wostbrock|first3=Fred|title=The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows|edition=3|year=1999|publisher=Facts on File, Inc.|isbn=0-8160-3846-5|page=252}}</ref> Contestants on ''Jep!'' were young children aged 10 through 12, who competed for merchandise packages instead of monetary prizes, with clue values in points rather than dollars.

===''Rock & Roll Jeopardy!'' ===
{{Main|Rock & Roll Jeopardy!}}
''Rock & Roll Jeopardy!'', a music-intensive version, debuted on [[VH1]] on October 8, 1998<ref>{{Cite book|title=TV A-Go-Go: Rock on TV, from ''American Bandstand'' to ''American Idol''|last=Austen|first=Jake|publisher=Chicago Review Press|page=210|date=2005|isbn=978-1-56-976241-7}}</ref> and ran for four seasons, ending on May 12, 2001. Hosted by ''[[Survivor (American TV series)|Survivor]]'' star [[Jeff Probst]], this version highlighted post-1950s popular music trivia rather than focusing on general knowledge.<ref name="EOT 2nd Edition">{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Television|edition=2nd|editor=Horace Newcomb, [[Museum of Broadcast Communications]]|publisher=[[CRC Press]]|year=2004|pages=1222–1224|isbn=1-57958-411-X}}</ref> Announcers included Loretta Fox in seasons one and two, and Stew Herrera in seasons three and four.

===''Sports Jeopardy!''===
{{Main|Sports Jeopardy!}}
In fall 2014, [[Crackle (company)|Crackle]], an online video portal owned by Sony, began exclusively carrying ''Sports Jeopardy!'', a themed version of the show with material focused entirely on sports trivia. Sportscaster [[Dan Patrick (sportscaster)|Dan Patrick]] hosts the series, which produces new episodes once a week.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sony Making A Sports Version Of 'Jeopardy!'|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/30/sports-jeopardy_n_5241405.html|website=HuffPost|agency=Associated Press|access-date=August 18, 2014}}</ref> Kelly Miyahara, a member of the ''Jeopardy!'' Clue Crew, serves as an on-camera announcer. [[Howie Schwab]] serves as off-camera judge and consultant. The series was picked up by [[NBCSN]] for the 2016 season.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Lucia|first1=Joe|title=NBCSN acquires TV rights to Sports Jeopardy|url=http://awfulannouncing.com/2016/nbcsn-acquires-tv-rights-to-sports-jeopardy.html|website=Awful Announcing|access-date=August 27, 2017|date=April 21, 2016}}</ref>

Each category has only four clues (250, 500, 750, and 1,000 in the Jeopardy! round, with those values doubled for Double Jeopardy!) compared to five in the parent series. The fewer clues allows Patrick and the contestants more time to interact during the interview portion of the show and during a "postgame" segment during and after the closing credits.

==References==
{{Reflist|33em}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/19981111190725/http://www.rockjeopardy.com/ Official Website of ''Rock & Roll Jeopardy!'' (via Internet Archive)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/19980526072258/http://www.spe.sony.com/gsn/original/jep_main.html/ Official Website of ''Jep!'' (via Internet Archive)]
* [http://sportsjeopardy.com/ Official Website of ''Sports Jeopardy!'']
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q6492021|title=Rock & Roll Jeopardy!}}
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q6180371|title=Jep!}}

{{Jeopardy!}}

[[Category:Jeopardy!|Broadcast Information]]
[[Category:History of television in the United States]]