Ryan Seacrest is ending his first season as host of "Wheel of Fortune" on a high note. According to series distributor CBS Media Ventures, the syndicated gamer– which just aired its final batch of new episodes for the 2024-2025 TV season — was up year-to-year in both households and total viewers. Seacrest took over for longtime host Pat Sajak (and joined co-hostVanna White) in September. Per CBS, "Wheel" was "the only syndicated game show to post growth and was one of only two syndicated series to increase year to year." More from Variety 'Wheel of Fortune,' 'Jeopardy' to Stream Next Day for the First Time Starting This September, on Peacock and Hulu 100 Most-Watched TV Series of 2024-25 Across Streaming, Broadcast and Cable: 'Squid Game' Leads This Season's Rankers American Music Awards Scores Highest Viewership Since 2019; Up 38% From Last Live Broadcast "Wheel" averaged 7.93 million viewers this season, with a slight bump of 74,000 vs. last year. In households, the game show posted a 4.6 rating for the season in households, up 1% from the previous year. CBS said that makes it the No. 2 syndicated series in households and total viewers, behind only sister show "Jeopardy!" Sajaksigned offfrom the daytime "Wheel" last June after more than 40 years as host. He was still seen this seasonin ABC's primetime edition of "Celebrity Wheel of Fortune," which repped his last turn on the show. AsVarietynoted last year in a profile of Seacrest, the host studied intently while taking over the gig. Per the story, he went through "Wheel's" more than 8,000-episode archive, watching hundreds of shows and cherry-picking moments from each decade to learn the nuances of the game. And it apparently worked: In September, according to Nielsen data, "Wheel of Fortune" averaged 7.99 million viewers during its premiere month (September 9 to October 6, 2024) — making it the most-watched entertainment program on linear TV when sports and news were taken out of the equation. The arrival of Seacrest helped give "Wheel" its highest best premiere month audience in three years. "Wheel" just wrapped its 42nd season in syndication. The syndie strip is produced by Sony Pictures Television, and distributed domestically by CBS Media Ventures and internationally by Paramount Global Content Distribution. Bellamie Blackstone is exec producer. Sony and CBS continue to battle over their longstanding partnership on both "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel." For decades, Sony produced the series (having acquired original producer Merv Griffin's production company) while CBS was the syndication distributor (having acquired original distribber King World). Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar Sign up forVariety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram.
