Directors of the UK’s top shows are calling on streaming platforms to agree a royalty agreement.
Among the signatories of this letter are Apple Also included are Saul Metzstein, James Hawes and Jeremy Lovering of TV’s “Slow Horses,” Sam Miller, John Crowley and Colm McCarthy of “Black Mirror,” Sam Donovan, Eric Richter Strand and Jessica Hobbs of “The Crown,” and Dee Coppan O’Leary of “Rivals” and Ben Palmer, who directed “The Rivals.” “The Inbetweeners” and “The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin.”
The letter, compiled by our rights organization Directors UK, says: “Behind every program you commission is a director with the creativity, skill and vision essential to its success. You know the value we directors bring and now we need you to show it.”
It also explains that Britain’s public broadcaster and Comcast’s Sky contribute to a royalty system that allows directors to be compensated for rebroadcasts and sales. “While the recurring payments made under this scheme are small by anyone’s standards, they can be an important source of income in the highly volatile world in which we as directors operate,” the letter said.
However, the letter points out that the streamer has not been part of any form of royalty system in the 10 years it has been operating in the UK, and that “this is the case despite us being legally one of the original copyright holders of the programs we directed for these companies” and that Directors UK has been attempting to negotiate with them for some time.
“We want to send a clear message to everyone: No matter how successful you are at a certain point in your career, loyalty is the lifeblood of a director.”
Variety has reached out to Apple TV, Disney+, Netflix, and Prime Video for comment.
Read the full letter below and see the list of signatories here.
The global streaming service has been a huge critical and commercial success, with its catalog enjoyed by audiences around the world. But behind every program you commission is a director whose creativity, skill, and vision are essential to its success. You know the value we bring to directors. Now I need you to show me that.
For over 25 years, all UK public broadcasters and Sky, together with their production partners, have contributed to a system that allows directors of British television to pay royalties on rebroadcasts and sales of programs they direct. Before this system was established, most British television directors were only paid once for their services and never received a penny thereafter, regardless of the continued popularity of the programs they produced. The ongoing payments made under this scheme are small by anyone’s standards, but they can be an important source of income in the highly volatile world in which we as directors operate.
In contrast, your company, which has been commissioning TV production in the UK for over a decade, has not yet signed any form of royalty or residual scheme for the benefit of UK directors. This is despite the fact that we are one of the original owners of the copyright in the programs we legally oversee for these companies, and despite the best efforts of our copyright management organization, Directors UK, to negotiate.
While we applaud your investment in UK original productions, we cannot help but note the contrast between your commitment to UK tax incentives and the very slow pace of debate about the appropriate royalty regime for UK directors.
We want to send a clear message to everyone. Royalty is a director’s lifeblood, no matter how successful they are at a certain point in their career.
In the United States and many countries in Europe and Latin America, practices have evolved to ensure continued payments to directors through collective bargaining and copyright law. Treat us with equal respect and agree a timetable with British Directors to complete negotiations that will secure the future of the directorial talent you rely on for your success.
