‘Jeopardy!’ Fans Enraged Over What Players Get Paid
Jeopardy! fans are up in arms after details about how past players are paid have been made public. Viewers have started campaigning in hopes of helping former players get paid more in residuals when their reruns air on television. So, what prompted this discussion and how much are past players paid? Here’s what has been revealed so far.
Game Show Channel Shut Down On Pluto TV
Jeopardy! was recently removed from Pluto TV. Fans noticed that it disappeared from the streaming platform on Wednesday, July 31. Pluto was the only way for viewers to watch Jeopardy! outside of cable television.
It wasn’t the only game show impacted either. The entire game show channel on Pluto TV stopped working. Instead, when viewers tuned in to the channel, a black screen appeared with “Jeopardy! hosted by Alex Trebek is no longer available on Pluto TV.”
Randy West, the former announcer for Jeopardy!, explained why it was taken off the streaming platform. He took to Facebook on Friday to discuss what was going on.
“Yes, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune reruns are off Pluto…” he wrote. “The deal expired, and apparently Sony and Paramount haven’t come to terms on a renewal. Let’s hope they do.”
The announcer continued, “And let’s hope that all along they have been spinning the Wheel of Residuals – paying the money due Pat, Vanna, Johnny Gilbert, and Alex’s estate from the use of the reruns. Likewise, Merv’s theme music generates money that should be honored.”
Jeopardy! Fans Ask About Players’ Residuals
Randy went on to say that each of these individuals is due money. While it generates less than network TV, it still generates new money just the same. He pointed out that “not all streamers are voluntarily making those payments on all shows under the honor system that’s in place.”
Fans flocked to the comment section on Randy’s post to sound off. “With episodes available for streaming, do you think that contestants should get more than the house minimum of $1k if you don’t win?” one fan asked the former announcer.
This is where things get a little fuzzy. Randy explained to the fans that once the competition is over, the players no longer earn any money from reruns. They have a contract and agreement that they sign to appear on Jeopardy! After their appearance is over, the contract is over. “They need to be paid more in residuals. It’s only fair,” one Reddit user wrote.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem like it’s going to change any time soon. Let’s just hope they can come to an agreement so that game shows can be shown on the streaming platform again.
Until Sony and Paramount can come to an agreement with Pluto TV, the game show channel will be shut down. With both Jeopardy! and Wheel Of Fortune on hiatus for the summer, many fans are disappointed they can’t watch old episodes of the game shows.
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