Starting in September, new episodes of the popular game shows will be available on both Hulu and Peacock the day after they air on broadcast TV.
Two of the biggest holdouts from the streaming era are finally joining the fray.
New episodes of “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” will be available on both Hulu and Peacock beginning in September, Sony Pictures Entertainment, the owner of the popular game shows, announced on Tuesday.
The episodes will hit the streaming services the day after they air on broadcast television, Sony said. This will be the first time that newer episodes of either show will be available on a streaming platform.
But it also represents something of a test: Will the two popular game shows actually do well on streaming? It’s not a given. Some genres, like late-night talk shows, have confronted major challenges in finding success on streaming services. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The deal effectively amounts to an experiment for Sony. Hulu and Peacock will allow Sony to keep the shows on broadcast television while trying to attract a meaningful audience of younger viewers on streaming.
But it also sets up the possibility for a blockbuster deal beginning in 2028. That is when all of Sony’s current syndication deals expire, and exclusive rights to “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!” will be up for grabs. At that point, both shows could be removed from broadcast television and appear exclusively on a streaming service.
One by one, thoroughbreds of traditional television are making their way to streaming. Major sports leagues like the N.F.L. and the N.B.A. are moving more aggressively into streaming. “WWE Raw,” which used to be on cable television, has been running weekly on Netflix since January. In March, the Academy Awards appeared live on Hulu for the first time, which helped its ratings rise.
Only older episodes of “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!” have been available on streaming services in recent years. Last year, Sony let a deal expire for older episodes with Pluto, the free streaming service, in anticipation for making the deals announced on Tuesday.
Both the Hulu and Peacock deals will include access to older episodes as well.
“Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!” produce a staggering volume of new episodes: 425 a year combined.
Both shows remain very popular, with each drawing roughly 7 million viewers a night. But like everything else on traditional television, the audience is declining and getting older.