Watching new episodes of Jeopardy! on TV is a whole experience for many families. People gather around the television, patiently waiting to hear the questions as much as the answers. Betting on contestants is like a sport, and shouting answers at the TV makes you feel like you’re a part of the competition. Since the introduction of streaming platforms, many people have let go of their cable TV contracts in favor of… the internet.
Streaming services expand visual entertainment beyond over-the-air programs on TV. With access to a streaming platform, you can watch your favorite programs on-demand using any number of devices (e.g. TV, phone, tablet). You can stream your favorite channels live and watch syndicated programs like Jeopardy! without paying the large cable bill. Here are some you can consider if you’re looking for a platform for watching old episodes and live streaming new ones.
Hulu Live
Most people in the western hemisphere have heard of Hulu. It’s a direct competitor of Netflix, HBO, and Amazon Prime with a slightly different library of shows and movies. A subscription to Hulu Live is as good as cable TV; it gets you access to all of your favorite cable channels with some on-demand television.
Let’s get one thing straight: Hulu Live is not exactly like Hulu. Most users like that it offers access to popular channels like ABC, where you can watch Jeopardy!. The streaming service Hulu does not have any Jeopardy! episodes, so it cannot help you on your hunt. If you’re not sure about the streaming service yet, you can enjoy a one-month free trial. Perhaps that will help you make a decision.
Sling TV
Sling TV is another live TV streaming service, much like Hulu Live. Once again, the difference between Sling TV and a platform like Netflix is that the latter allows you to watch any piece of media in its library whenever you want, while the former grants access to the freshest television programs through streaming TV channels.
Sling TV is priced lower than Hulu Live, starting at $40 monthly. Sling TV will give you a 50% discount on the first month to lure you in. If all you’re after is some standard cable channels, this platform might be the best solution.
Pluto TV
Pluto TV now owns the rights to 250 episodes of Jeopardy! from the last 33 seasons, including episodes with the beloved late host Alex Trebek. If you want to stroll down memory lane, a Pluto TV subscription is just what you need. The best part is that Pluto TV offers these episodes of Jeopardy! for free.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV is a popular option for those familiar with the streaming website. YouTube TV operates the same way as Hulu Live or Sling TV. You can access over 100 cable and local TV channels through the platform. You also have the chance to add other networks that are not covered in the standard YouTube TV offer.
New users can register for $55 per month for the first 3 months and $65 per month following that. In addition, YouTube Live offers two weeks for free for new subscribers. The platform strives to recreate the real cable TV experience by allowing users to record their favorite shows with unlimited DVR space to store them. Each subscription brings three streams and six accounts per household, meaning you can share with your family members. As with all other live TV streaming platforms, there is no contract.
FuboTV
Although fuboTV is less popular than its competitors, it has a similar offering. You can stream Jeopardy! and other TV programs live or record them for later and store them with up to 1000 hours of DVR space. You can access your fuboTV account and stream over 110 different channels from up to 3 devices simultaneously, so it’s a great solution for households with kids.
FuboTV subscription plans start at $65 per month. New users are invited to start with a free trial to help them determine whether fuboTV is for them. The service is available in the United States, Canada, and Spain. Subscription fees vary depending on your location.
Peacock TV
Peacock TV is proving to be tough competition for other live-streaming services. The lowest tier costs only about $5 per month, which is an absolute bargain! You can not only stream channels that show Jeopardy!, but also add television programs to your watch list. Put Jeopardy!’s time slots in your calendar, and never miss another episode! Rumor has it you can also stream old episodes of Jeopardy! on Peacock TV.
The service is available in the United States and some European countries such as the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. If you’re not located in any of these, you can access Peacock TV using a virtual private network (VPN).
Can You Stream Jeopardy! Free Without Paying?
You can stream Jeopardy! for free on Pluto TV. Jeopardy! advertises this option to its viewers on the official website of the game show. A link you can follow will take you to Pluto TV, where you can stream around 250 episodes of Jeopardy!, some featuring Alex Trebek as the host.
What Streaming Service(s) Have the Current Season of Jeopardy!?
You can stream Jeopardy! live using all the streaming platforms mentioned above. All of them have channels that show new episodes of Jeopardy!. Subscribing to one of those is the best way to stay up to date with the newest season of Jeopardy!.
If, however, you want to wait for all the episodes to come out and binge the season on one platform, that might be a bit more difficult to accomplish. Currently, Pluto TV seems to be the only streaming service with season 39 of Jeopardy!. The great thing is you can stream it for free!
Where Can You Watch All the Old Episodes?
The streaming service with the biggest collection of Jeopardy! episodes is Pluto TV. No wonder, Pluto TV owns around 250 episodes! It appears that is the only public library of old Jeopardy! episodes at the moment. Netflix famously carried some show episodes, but they are no longer available on the platform. Pluto TV doesn’t have all the old seasons, but it has enough to keep you busy for weeks. You can also catch reruns of old episodes on local TV channels and through TV streaming services.
What Can You Do if Jeopardy! Is Preempted on Your Local Station?
Jeopardy! is a syndicated show, so the fate of each episode is not entirely in the hands of the producers. Each station gets to decide what time slot to give Jeopardy!; you’ll find that most of the time, it’s 7 pm. The station airing Jeopardy! can also veto any given episode in favor of breaking news coverage or a nationally televised event.
When a station decides to fill Jeopardy!’s time slot with some breaking news or sporting event coverage, the show may get pushed to a later time slot on the same day, postponed to the next day, or even canceled. Given Jeopardy! is not readily available on streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, it can be a big deal for fans of the show.
JBoard.TV posts information about Jeopardy! preemptions. You can find information about the latest season of Jeopardy! and all the episodes that have been postponed because of sporting events and breaking news. Unfortunately, as a viewer, you don’t have much power over which episodes of Jeopardy! get aired. As Jeopardy! is quite popular, it will get pushed by a couple of hours in most cases. If it ends up being canceled, there is nothing you can do.
Time zones, otherwise annoying and confusing, create an interesting loophole for Jeopardy! viewers. If the episode you want to watch is being preempted because of a sporting event that starts at 7 pm and ends at 9 pm in your time zone, you need to find a time zone where 7 pm happens two hours earlier or later. Another show will be preempted in that time zone, giving way to Jeopardy!.
It’s not easy to hop on a flight and watch Jeopardy! in a sports bar far away from home, especially on short notice. You can ask a friend who lives in a different time zone to tape the show for you. Alternatively, you can access the region with the time zone you’re looking for through a streaming service. All you have to do to trick your internet provider is use a VPN.
Finally, there is another trick that only works for three people per episode: the three contestants. As a contestant on the show, you can officially request a copy of your episode on tape. Though no confirmed price was announced by Sony (the show’s parent company), some contestants have shared that a copy of their episode cost them a hefty $175. That fee can be avoided if your episode was preempted in your region. Prove that and Sony will send you a copy of your episode for free.
Why Is It Hard to Find Jeopardy! on Streaming Services?
Jeopardy! is a syndicated show, meaning its episodes are sold to individual TV stations in different regions. New episodes and reruns are broadcast on different channels, so few episodes can be sold to streaming services. Selling new episodes to Netflix or Amazon Prime might diminish the viewership of local channels relying on Jeopardy! to boost their ratings.
Similarly, the show cannot be sold into syndication on two channels in the same region. Doing that would take away from both channels and Jeopardy!. Since it is an exclusively syndicated show, selling episodes to streaming platforms would make it less exclusive and endanger Jeopardy!’s deals with TV stations.
Final Words
When you’re ready to give up the antenna and switch to streaming your favorite programs online, you’ll know where to find Jeopardy!! All 6 of these streaming platforms carry channels that show Jeopardy! and many others, and some even have on-demand Jeopardy! episodes. You’ll find that streaming services can be very affordable and have the same selection of TV networks as some popular cable providers. Many streaming service subscriptions are divided into different tiers, allowing users to choose how much TV they want to consume.
Do you use any of these streaming platforms? Can you vouch for any one of them? My personal favorite is YouTube TV. The familiar interface combined with the wide selection of channels is all I could ask for! What about you? Which streaming platforms would you recommend? Share with us in the comments!
Leave a Reply