CBS Media Ventures is fighting to retain distribution rights to the popular game shows. Sony Pictures owns and produces the shows. The contract governing distribution was cemented in the early 1980s.

CBS has blocked Sony from canceling its lucrative distribution deals for “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune,” while the two sides clash in court over their decades-old contracts. Sony moved on Monday morning to try to take over distribution of the shows to more than 200 stations around the country,

A judge has stepped in to block, at least for the moment, Sony’s efforts to take over distribution of syndicated game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune from CBS. On Thursday,