Jeopardy! fans rage players should ‘get paid more’ in residuals after show is removed from streaming platform
JEOPARDY! fans are campaigning for past players to get paid more in residuals when reruns are shown on TV.
The game show was recently taken off a streaming platform, which led to the discussion.
5
Jeopardy! fans wants hosts and players to be paid more in residuals after the game show was taken off streamingCredit: Jeopardy!
5
Fans said that the players should be paid more, but former announcer Randy West said that the competition is over and the show and the players negotiated a price at that timeCredit: Getty
Former Jeopardy! announcer Randy West explained on Facebook on August 2 why the show was taken off Pluto TV.
“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.”
“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,” Randy continued.
“Yes, they are due money – less than reuse on network television, but money just the same. Why? Because the past work of these artists generates new money.”
“From personal experience and conversations with hosts and composers, I can tell you that not all streamers are voluntarily making those payments on all shows under the honor system that’s in place,” he ended.
‘SHOULD GET MORE’
Jeopardy! fans went to Randy’s comments to say that past contestants should get more in residuals.
“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 wrote.
Randy explained that the competition is over and they have a contract and agreement negotiated between the players and the show.
Another fan begged to “not forget Charlie’s residuals.”
Jeopardy! fans distraught as show’s only streaming service takes down episodes ‘without warning’
Charlie O’Donnell was an announced on Wheel of Fortune from 1975 to 1980.
“They need to be paid more in residuals. It’s only fair,” a Reddit user said.
EXTINCT LIKE PLUTO
On July 31, Jeopardy! fans noticed that the game show was no longer on Pluto TV.
Pluto TV was the only way fans could watch Jeopardy!, aside from cable.
Jeopardy! Host Timeline
Jeopardy! has had a tumultuous history regarding hosts after the death of the iconic Alex Trebek in 2020. Here are all of the hosts since the game show’s inception in 1964.
Art Fleming – 1964 to 1975, he was the original host of the daytime version of Jeopardy! on NBC.
Alex Trebek – 1984 to 2020, the late, great Alex hosted Jeopardy!’s modern iteration for 36 years until his death from pancreatic cancer.
Guest hosts – 2020 to 2021, Jeopardy! tested out a series of guest hosts for week or two-week stints, including Anderson Cooper, LaVar Burton, and Aaron Rodgers.
Mike Richards – 2021, he was named host for one week before resigning amid controversy. He was the show’s executive producer at the time.
Mayim Bialik – 2021 to 2023, when Mike was announced as the show’s new host, Mayim was chosen to host tournaments and primetime specials.
Mayim and Ken Jennings – 2022 to 2023, 74-time champion Ken (the longest-winning contestant ever) joined Mayim as a guest host and they split hosting duties.
Ken Jennings – 2023 to present. Last December, Mayim announced on Instagram that she would “no longer” host Jeopardy! after a lengthy hiatus, having stood with the writer’s strike, and Ken was named sole host.
Ken now helms all editions of Jeopardy! including Celebrity Jeopardy!, the nightly show, and other primetime specials like Masters.
The streaming service is a free, live-stream TV and on-demand video service from Paramount with more than 300 live channels.
Jeopardy! has been airing reruns on the platform since 2022, including reruns of Alex Trebek’s episodes.
The dedicated game show channel stopped working on July 31.
Pluto TV posted over the live feed, now a black screen, “Jeopardy! hosted by Alex Trebek is no longer available on Pluto TV.”
Jeopardy! is currently on its summer break, so fans are bummed that they can’t watch any episodes of the iconic game show.
5
Pluto TV, the only place to watch Jeopardy! reruns aside from cable, suddenly stopped airing episodes of the game show on July 31Credit: Getty
5
Fans can’t even watch Ken Jennings game from before he was the hostCredit: Getty
5
The screen on Pluto TV turned black and gave fans a message that Jeopardy! was no longer availableCredit: Pluto TV
