Writers seek to make ITV pay for repeats

It's bad enough having to put up with so many repeats on tv but it now appears that broadcasters have also been trying to get out of paying for them.

A report in today's Observer says that some top telly screenwriters are seeking payment from ITV for showing their programmes on its digital channels. The writers claim that a loophole is being exploited in their royalty agreements which is short-changing them over their fees. (MediaBeak says - that's the danger of sloppy drafting - you always need to read your royalty agreements both ways round to ensure that to the extent you leave any loopholes, they are there for you to exploit).

According to the claims, the broadcaster is selling the programmes on to its other channels rather than screening them as a repeat. This lets them pay the writers less - a cunning plan.

So it may seem like cheap tv to ITV but their quick fix for content could come at a price if the writers successfully sue them.

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