BBC Rates

RDA and RAC4 rates for 2013 will increase on 1 August. If you have any queries about rates/negotiations please contact the Broadcasting Group Secretary, Jo McCrum.

Rates are calculated per minute on the slot length with the exception of the '15 minute' drama broadcast in Woman's Hour and paid on the actuality of 14 minutes. Slot lengths are:

Friday Drama, Saturday Drama, Classic Serial: 60 minutes
Afternoon Drama: 45 minutes
15 Minute Drama (note fees paid on actual written length of 14 minutes)
11.30 and 23.00 Comedy: 30 minutes

Attendance payment

Attendance payment: £60.00

Original Drama (per minute)

Beginners' rate: £59.05 (2 tx) / £35.44 (1 tx)
Established writers' rate: £89.94 (2 tx) / £53.95 (1 tx)

An established writer is one where the Writer has had 95 minutes of dramatic works broadcast provided that this has been achieved over more than at least two Plays, Dramatisations, Dramatised Features, Adaptations, Series or Long Running Series.

A writer who qualifies as 'established' for the purposes of the BBC’s Agreement with the WGGB and the PMA for Television Drama shall also be regarded as established for radio.

The Archers

£901.50 per episode

Dramatisations

Dramatisations are paid at 65%, 75% or 85% of the rates depending on the context and level of difficulty.

Commissioned short stories (per 15-minutes)

1st and 2nd: £179
3rd – 5th: £213
6th – 9th: £241
10th onwards: £309
Generally established outside the BBC: £309
Generally established inside the BBC: £367

Abridgements (per minute)

Beginners' rate: £6.97
Established writers' rate: £10.37

Radio Drama Agreement (original drama, series, dramatisations and special adaptations).
RAC4 (short stories, abridgements and other scripted contributions)
BBC7 service licence

Audio Go Trial

Material can be licensed to Audio Go on a download to own (DTO) basis with no advance. In return authors receive payment of the highest applicable royalty. This trial expires on 31 December 2012. Titles released on CD will receive an advance and usual starting royalty.

Radio 4Extra

Under the current RDA a New Public Services Fee of 12.5% of the single transmission fee covers broadcasts on 4Extra (as well as simulcast etc).

Archive material, however, is paid for and distributed by the ALCS at the following rates (until March 2018. In return the BBC has the right to broadcast a writer's/author's work for 6 transmission days (up to four transmissions per day) over three years on the Service and rights acquired include to make an audiostream or temporary download for up to 30 days plus a further 7 days to listen (if downloaded) following each transmission:

Original script material: £3.24 per minute
Dramatisations (including specially commissioned translations): £2.10 per minute
Source work material (including translations) £1.25 per minute
Abridgements £0.75 per minute

BBC/Society of Authors/Publishers Association - Published Material Rates

These rates are calculated on a one transmission basis. Two transmissions, if paid upfront, are 180%.

Translations of plays, prose and verse is payable at two thirds of the rates due to each of translator and original author. If you are dramatising an English translation a producer will have to clear rights to the translation and the underlying work. 2/3 of the prose for dramatisation rate is paid to both the original author/publisher and the translator/UK publisher.

Television

Prose (per minute): £30.71
Poetry (per 1/2 minute): £36.84
Download the TV agreement

Core Service Radio

Plays/Prose (per min): £17.84
Poetry (per ½ min): £17.84
Prose for Dramatisation (per min): £13.91
Prose Translation (per min): £11.89

World Service Radio (English)/BBC Digital Radio Originations

The rates for R4Extra originations are currently under review.

Plays/Prose (per min): £8.92
Poetry (per 1/2 min): £8.92
Prose for Dramatisation (per min): £6.94
Prose translation (per min): £5.95

Local Radio

Plays/Prose (per min): £4.45
Poetry (per 1/2 min): £4.45
Prose for Dramatisation (per min): £3.46
Prose translation (per min): £2.97
Download the radio agreement.

Radio Features

Features are commissioned at a minimum fee of £43.28 per minute with a baseline threshold of £302.96. The minimum fee equates to seven minutes duration. These rates are valid until 31 July 2013. No residuals or repeat fees are paid for further broadcasts and the author is able to re-use their script (but not the recording) once an exclusive period lapses. The option to engage radio features contributors on a daily rate remains.

A feature writer has to provide the following services: research in depth; collection and selection of insert material (e.g. actuality recordings, literary material); scripting; presentation; interviewing as may be required by the BBC to make a radio programme, or self-contained item within a radio programme, which is a creative treatment of its subject but which does not involve actors in character or original material in dramatic form. Such programmes or items would normally be fully or partly edited or compiled by the contributor but these special terms applicable to ‘features’ work may still apply if the BBC carries out editing subject to this being taken into account in assessing the fee.

Some producers offer authors a low non-edit rate with the reasoning that authors are required to submit a fully edited programme. This may be reasonable if a substantial edit is necessary, but a lower rate has not been negotiated with the Society/Guild/NUJ representatives.

Download a sample Feature agreement

Radio Talks Contributions

These rates run to 31 July 2013. Talks are commissioned on a flat-fee basis with no residuals paid for further broadcasts. There is a limited exclusive period, after which the author is able to use their script elsewhere. Minimum rates are:

Script and Read: £22.58 per minute with a minimum fee of £45.16.
Script only £17.50 a minute with a minimum fee of £35.00
Daily rate Reporting £126* per day. Minimum fee of £63.00* (per half day). *Figure rounded.
Download a sample Talks contract

Contributions bought on a daily rate basis are bought out on an assignment basis. See a sample assignment.

BBC/WGGB/PMA TV Rates (per minutes, on slot length)

Teleplays: £178
Series/Serials: £162
Dramatisations: £116
Adaptations: £71
Educational Drama: £109
Attendance fees: £95
Pension ceiling: £16,020

Established and in-demand writers may be able to negotiate a higher rate. Rates will apply to 1 January 2013, or until the first anniversary of the implementation of a 2012 TV Writers Agreement, whichever is later.