Fromcreditstocash:howDirectorsUKdistributespayments
Distribution payments may provide financial relief and offer welcomed support to directors. Our Distribution team is dedicated to ensuring our members receive up to four payments per year, which come from UK and international sources.
Read how the distribution process works and what goes on behind the scenes to turn eligible credits into payments.
How are UK distribution payments processed?
In the constant stream of broadcasting, it is essential to stay on top of monitoring what is shown on TV, as this forms the backbone of our UK distribution payments. To ensure our members are properly compensated for use of their work, our Distribution team rigorously monitors UK broadcasting.
Each of the five Distribution Administrators (DAs) in the team oversees a main UK channel: BBC One, BBC Two, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, as well as content on some other eligible channels like ITV2 and Sky Atlantic. Several different sources (including off-air recordings, archives and listing sites) are used to piece together an accurate picture of our members’ output. DAs are responsible for reporting everything shown across the year, uncovering all possible opportunities for remuneration to our members in the process.
To give you an idea of the scale of the UK broadcasting data we report and process, for our 2022-2023 distribution, we recorded the transmission of nearly 9,000 thousand individual titles broadcast on Channel 5 (including repeats).
How are International distribution payments processed?
Another potential source of income for our members is through our agreements with sister organisations in other territories. To distribute these payments, we depend on data from international collecting societies to identify which programmes have been broadcast in their territories.
Our Head of International and our International Officer receive extensive data for up to 28 international collecting societies. Many societies require us to register programmes or films directed by our members before they pay us; often, this is supplied through a long list of titles with varying data, which we work through to identify any member-directed projects. In a recent international distribution, we collectively processed more than 304,000 individual lines of data.
The reports we receive in return vary in detail and accuracy. Most reports are also in a society’s native language, requiring investigation into translated or altogether changed titles for films and TV series. While some reports only identify potential UK transmissions, others might enclose everything broadcast in that territory during the requested period – again through which, we must comb through and identify any member-directed projects. This is why it is vital to collect as much information as we can about our members’ works through our monitoring.
Once this is completed, many societies will report the specific payments due per work when paying us, as this is allocated by them under their own internal distribution policy. We also use our own distribution scheme to allocate payments for those who do not provide all needed information. The DAs undertake any further research and the team formats the information on the spreadsheets to finalise the process.
How does this turn into payments?
During the final stages of the UK and international distributions, we consolidate all the data we have collected to determine what each eligible director is entitled to.
Our database matches all the information we have gathered regarding secondary uses against our records to finally allocate payments. Every payment distributed for a secondary use of members' work has been examined at least twice by the DAs. Anything that still cannot be matched is manually verified and we run some final checks on the data at this stage to serve as the ultimate checkpoint for accuracy in the distribution process.
The UK and international distributions require slightly different systems of approach when it comes to allocating payments. Through the course of processing all the UK data, points will be allocated to each line on a spreadsheet. The points allocation takes into account:
- the type of work
- the length of the work
- the nature of the secondary exploitation.
Once all processing has been completed, our Director, Manager, and Distribution Officer will carry out final checks across all listings to ensure that there is no inaccurate data (for example, mismatched works; work durations that are too long or too short; incorrect genres; or any works that do not fall within the distribution rules). Once checked, the spreadsheet listings are locked, so that no further changes can be made.
Points are then converted into payments, with each eligible member getting a payment based on the total points allocated to their programme.
The international distribution uses a slightly different points scheme and allocates payments earlier in proceedings. The processes outlined occur over the course of a year, reliably providing either UK or international payments four times a year.
Members, how can you help?
Our distributions and diligent work in our team rely on collective efforts and collaboration from everyone in the Directors UK network. Members, if you would like to help:
- Make sure to update and regularly check your registered works with us, and double check the accuracy of any information you provide us, as this is a valuable resource for our team to back up any payments due.
- Provide details of your co-directors when registering your works with us so that they can receive any distribution payments that might be due to them.
- Keep an eye on your contact and bank details in your member profile to make sure they are up to date, so our payments reach you promptly.
In between UK or international distributions, our team also researches non-member directors who might be entitled to remuneration, working with the Membership team to ensure these directors are informed of any distribution payments that could be owed to them.
Searching for non-member directors is where your help comes in. We publish our Unregistered Directors list after each distribution, and if you recognise anyone in this list, please reach out to them and let them know to get in touch with our team, as they may be missing out on payments and other benefits that come with being a Directors UK member. By expanding our community, you would help us provide financial relief and support to as many directors as we can.
Are we holding money for you?
Find out if you are eligible for a payout from your previously directed work.