Industry minima, guild scales, public studio norms. Every entry cited and verifiable. Use these as your floor — your closed-deal history sets your ceiling.
36 benchmarks · sourced & verified
FeesUK
Greenlight Bonus — UK Drama Writer (Mid-Tier)
£10,000 – £40,000
Greenlight (commission) bonus for UK drama writers, payable on first day of principal photography. Wide range based on writer quote and series budget.
Mid-tier UK drama writer with one prior produced credit: £15K–£25K typical. Top-tier writer with prior network drama: £30K+. Re-Commissioning Bonus on Further Programmes typically incrementally increased per series.
SourceBroadcast / Hollywood Reporter — UK drama deal reporting2023–2024
Changed Format / Local Version — Producer's Account to Writer
40% – 50%
Where producer exploits or licenses Changed Format Rights for local versions, writer's passive share of Changed Format Net Receipts: 40–50%.
Pulse template position: 50% per applicable territory. If writer is engaged on local version script, passive payments fall away in favour of negotiated services fee.
Disney+ pays a so-called buy-out fee equal to 145% of Script Fee in lieu of SUA for premium SVOD originals.
Industry-acknowledged pattern reflected in PACT/WGGB-aligned templates. Other Premium SVOD platforms may negotiate equivalent buy-out structures rather than SUA.
SourceVariety / Hollywood Reporter — SVOD originals reporting2023–2024
Reserved Rights — Producer's Share of Writer's Net Profits
20% – 25%
On Writer's exploitation of Reserved Rights, producer typically receives 20–25% of Writer's Net Profits, after Writer's agent commission and up to 10% Writer service fee.
Pulse template uses 20–25% range. Below 20% is below market for producer protection on derivative exploitation.
Net Receipts means Company's gross income less cost of production, distribution fees, third-party participations, and bona fide deferred payments.
Premium or buy-out monies received from SVOD platforms count as Net Receipts only to extent not used to finance cost of production. Standard 5–10% writer's share band for sole format creators.
SourceSweet & Maxwell / PLC Television Production Precedents2024
Standard turnaround period 3–5 years from delivery of last commissioned material, with writer's repayment of 100% of producer's costs plus 15–25% premium.
Pulse position: 3 years + 100% costs + 20% premium. Higher-tier writers occasionally negotiate to 15% premium. No active broadcaster development must be in place.
SourcePLC Practical Law — Television Development Precedents2024
Minimum SUA equal to 100% of Script Fee for global SVOD originals (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu) where solely financed by the platform.
Negotiated in good faith above the floor. Premium SVOD (Disney+) may substitute a 145% buy-out structure. Co-commissioned or pre-sale SVOD (e.g. Acorn, secondary platforms) negotiated case-by-case with 100% SUA floor.
Format Fee for sole format creator: 7.5–10% of highest script fee paid on the relevant Programme, payable on FDPP of each non-Writer episode.
Pulse template position is 10% of highest script fee + repeats and SUA on Format Fee. Non-Pulse production companies sometimes settle at 7.5% with no SUA layered on Format Fee.
SourcePACT/WGGB-aligned format creator practice2024
Floor scale only — quoted writers exceed minimums substantially. Increases annually per MBA schedule. Different scales apply for low-budget SVOD, network non-primetime, and short-form.
Producer's right to cut off writer after each writing stage with rights remaining vested. Cut-off does not reverse rights assignment.
Universal in UK independent production. Writer is paid sums due to cut-off point; rights remain with producer; standard concession is good-faith discussion on further remuneration if writer's work is used post cut-off.
Material breach deemed uncured if not remedied within 7–14 business days of producer's written notice. 7 days is the producer-favourable end of the band.
Pulse position: 7 business days. Most independent producer templates sit at 7 days; some agent-led pushback achieves 10–14 days for non-schedule-affecting breaches.
Ancillary Rights — Film Net Receipts (Underlying Rights)
30% – 40%
Writer's share of Film Net Receipts where TV format becomes basis of feature film: 30–40%, alternative is fixed underlying rights payment of 1.5% of final film budget (capped).
Pulse template position: 40% Film Net Receipts OR 1.5% of final film budget (with floor and ceiling). Where Writer writes the screenplay, Principal Photography Payment doesn't apply.
Reserved Rights typically held back from Writer exploitation until earlier of 5 years from signature OR 3 years from last episode transmission.
Pulse template aligns with this standard. Some lower-tier productions concede 5 years/2 years post-TX. Holdback shorter than 3 years from signature is below market.
Single Use Advance equal to 100% of Script Fee, payable on first day of principal photography for ITV, C4, and Channel 5 commissions.
Floor — no negotiable downside. SUA recouped against subsequent use payments. Different structure applies for BBC commissions (governed by SATO instead).
PACT/WGGB minimum script fee for 60-minute slot length, original teleplay, single broadcaster commission.
Minimum scales increase annually. Writers above guild minimum quote based on prior credits. SUA payable in addition at 100% of Script Fee on FDPP for ITV/C4 commissions.
BBC1/BBC2 commissions: no 15% public service use payment; SATO Schedule 1 Clauses 1–4, Clause 7/Schedule 2, and Clause 9/Schedule 4 apply instead of PACT/WGGB Clause 26.
Script Fee is base price for SATO calculations. Only SUA is additionally payable on FDPP. Use fees may be applied against SUA. BBC4/CBBC/CBeebies follow distinct standard terms.
SourceWGGB/PMA-BBC SATO AgreementMay 2018 (updated)
Lead actor on premium series gets 100% pay-or-play — full fee owed even if production cancels.
Standard for Tier-1 talent above SAG-AFTRA scale. Streamers push for 'pay-or-play with mitigation' (offset by other earnings). Force majeure carve-outs heavily negotiated post-COVID.
Writer net profit participation — typically 2-5% on TV, up to 10% for showrunners on premium drama.
Definition matters more than headline %. Studio Net Profit (after 'overhead' deductions) almost never pays. MAGR / Adjusted Gross is the harder negotiation.
Apple TV+ pays among the highest per-episode budgets in streaming for premium drama (e.g. Foundation, Severance).
Smaller subscriber base offset by cost-plus + premium-tier talent fees. Reserved rights typically narrower than Netflix; talent pushes here for better backend.
Stop-date — outside date by which talent is no longer obligated to provide services.
Lead actors: 12-16wk stops typical. Supporting: 8-10wk. Strict stop-dates protect talent's ability to take other work; producers fight for 'reasonable extension on like terms'.
WGA minimum for high-budget SVOD/network primetime story & teleplay (60min).
Post-2023 strike: streamers must pay minimums regardless of budget. Residuals based on subscriber tier. Typical Netflix/HBO premium drama pays 1.5-3x scale.
Period during which writer cannot exploit reserved rights (publishing, stage, etc.) without studio consent.
Streamers (Netflix, Amazon) routinely push for 7-10yr holdbacks; talent agencies (CAA, WME, UTA) push back to 3-5yr. Frozen rights revert if option not exercised.
Sync licence per song for premium SVOD series — flat-fee per master + publishing.
Catalog hits (Stranger Things effect): 'Running Up That Hill' style placements can hit $500k+. Standard mid-tier SVOD: $15-40k all-in. Festival/indie features: under $5k common.
Netflix historically pays cost-plus with no backend; post-2023 strike negotiated viewership-based bonuses for top talent.
Public position: 'we don't do backend'. Reality (per WGA MBA 2023 and trade reporting): success bonuses tied to top-10 hours viewed exist for marquee shows. Always cost-plus on baseline.
BBC indicative drama tariff per 60min hour — published by BBC Commissioning.
Public BBC tariffs set baseline expectations. Premium event dramas exceed tariff via co-production with PBS/HBO/Sony. Tariff is starting point, not ceiling.
Equity / rights split between UK indie producer and US studio partner on co-pros.
When US partner brings 70%+ of budget: 30/70 split typical. True 50/50 co-pros increasingly rare post-streamer consolidation. Tax credit retention is a key sub-negotiation.
Amazon historically cost-plus; now offers profit-share on MGM theatrical-then-Prime titles.
Post-MGM acquisition (2022): theatrical-then-streaming model creates real backend on box office windows. Pure Prime originals: still cost-plus, viewership bonuses for top talent only.
Studio's right to engage writer for sequels/spin-offs at matched terms — typically 1st negotiation, then matching right.
Streamers prefer 'first negotiation, last refusal' (locks in writer). Agents push for 'first negotiation only' with no matching obligation. Time-limit windows: 30-90 days standard.