The annual “Tournament of Champions” hosted by the TV show “Jeopardy!” is the latest victim of the Hollywood labor battle.
Sony Pictures Television announced Tuesday that it never had any intention of taping the program while the strike was on.
“’Jeopardy!’ has a long history with and tremendous respect for the [Writers Guild of America] and our writers. We have always been careful to honor our WGA agreements, and we would never air game material not created by WGA writers,” a statement from the company reads. “However, just as we did, led by Alex Trebek, during the 2007-08 strike, we will deliver first-run episodes again this fall to more than 200 affiliate stations nationwide.”
“Tournament of Champions,” the annual all-star series on “Jeopardy!” that pits former winners against each other, usually tapes in late August.
Several high-profile former winners testified online that they would not participate in the tournament. Ray Lalonde, who won 13 games last season, announced on Reddit that he would not be on the show.
“I am and will always be grateful for the experience I had on the show, and the opportunity to participate in the TOC is beyond a dream come true for me. That being said, I believe that the show’s writers are a vital part of the show and they are justified in taking their job action to secure a fair contract for themselves and their fellow WGA members,” the forum post reads.
The postponement is more evidence of the impact the Hollywood strikes are having. The WGA began its strike in early May and was joined on the picket line in July by the Screen Actors Guild. Both unions are asking for changes to residual payments as well as regulation on how artificial intelligence is used in TV and film.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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