Wheel of Fortune bosses ‘renegotiating Ryan Seacrest’s contract after ratings surge’

Show bosses are ‘popping champagne’ after Seacrest ‘blew Pat Sajak’s ratings out of the water’, a show insider claimed.

Wheel Of Fortune: Pat Sajak hands the reigns to Ryan Seacrest

They said: “You have to feel a little sorry for Pat Sajak because of how this is all playing out.

“Instead of matching or coming close to Pat’s audience numbers, Ryan has blown them out of the water!

“Everyone at Sony is popping champagne over the numbers and breathing a big sigh of relief that the tragedy, drama and confusion of the Jeopardy! host transition is not repeating itself here.

“The gamble on Ryan has worked creatively and as a business decision, and this new version of Wheel has excellent ratings.”

The insider claimed if the show’s ratings had not spiked like they have, the show would have excused low viewing figures by saying they were caused by syndicated shows “taking a small dip in viewership” because the presidential election being held this year.

They said: “At least that’s what Sony was going to say if the numbers were underwhelming.

“But the refreshed Wheel is proving out Ryan’s strategic genius for joining the franchise in the first place.

“He’s making a very dusty, old format feel fresh and new, and the numbers show that he’s brought people back to Wheel who haven’t watched in years.”

Last month it was revealed the show topped Jeopardy! in ratings by over 1 million viewers following Seacrest’s debut as host

The premiere week drew 8,310,000 viewers, compared to 7,113,000 for Jeopardy! – marking a significant shift, as Jeopardy! had consistently outperformed WOF in recent seasons.