Writers commissioned by the BBC and BBC Studios have accepted an increase in minimum fees and compensation for their work across new platforms, with immediate effect.
The BBC Script Agreement for Television and Online was originally negotiated in 2017 by the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) and the Personal Managers’ Association (PMA), which represents writers’ agents.
The updated agreement will see a 10% rise in fees, with the minimum rate for a 60-minute teleplay increasing from £12,780 to £14,040. Series minimum rates will rise to £12,900 per 60 minutes, dramatisations to £9,360 per 60 minutes, and adaptations to £5,760 per 60 minutes. BBC sketch writers will see a 4% rise in fees, resulting in a minimum rate of £123 per minute.
As part of the amended agreement, wider industry practice terms have been updated to reflect new opportunities for the use of writers’ work in a digital setting. They will receive increased residuals in the form of extract fees across various platforms, such as videogames or live events, and will be paid a £200 fee per 30 seconds for extracts over 30 seconds.
It also covers work commissioned by BBC Studios on platforms including ITV, Sky, UK TV and Channel 4 and includes other protections for writers, including pension rights, repeat fees and an attendance allowance.
Nikki Touchard, director of rights and talent accounting at BBC Studios, said: “We are delighted to have worked with the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain and the PMA to agree new terms for writers on our scripted shows.”
Ellie Peers, general secretary at WGGB, added: “In television, screenwriters’ work is now exploited in ways that we would never have imagined a decade or so ago, so it is important that our collective union agreements keep pace. Our negotiating team has worked long and hard to achieve that goal and to ensure that UK writers receive a sizable pay rise that they deserve during such challenging economic times for our creative sector.”