Pact to be made Stateside

UK producers association Pact is to launch a US arm this year and is looking to recruit executives for roles on both coasts.

John McVay

Pact CEO John McVay announced the plans at a reception at the UK ambassador’s residence in Washington DC last night as the annual RealScreen Summit for factual broadcasters and producers got underway in the city.

McVay said: “In an ever-globalised industry – and with the US being the single most lucrative market for commissions outside of the UK – we want to make sure we can deliver services to support both British and US TV producers in the US.”

Offices will be opened on the east and west coasts of the US and a recruitment process to staff both is underway, with further details to be revealed on the Pact US website as the move progresses.

Pact successfully lobbied more than a decade ago for terms of trade in the UK that allow producers to keep the rights to shows they make for terrestrial broadcasters. However, the situation is markedly different in the US, where the prodcos are usually on a ‘work for hire’ basis and the broadcasters hold on to rights to the shows.

Nevertheless, Pact said 100% of the original commissions and 30% of revenues for UK indies outside the UK in 2013/14 came from the US. There are 50 UK-based Pact members in Washington for RealScreen this week.

UK-based companies have also engaged in the US market through mergers and acquisitions, with commercial broadcaster ITV buying up Duck Dynasty producer Gurney Productions and Pawn Stars producer Leftfield Entertainment.

The crossover has worked the other way too, evidenced by Discovery Communications buying Betty, Raw TV and, more recently, All3Media in a joint venture with Liberty Global.

Sara Geater, Pact UK chair, said: “Pact is a trade association whose membership has huge success creating content and conducting business globally. Pact played a key role in enabling that success so it makes sense for us to offer all producers in the US our experience, and to build a trade body that reflects the interests of the ever-widening global industry.”