Top Directors Demand Royalties From Streamers
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- U.K. directors from 'Slow Horses,' 'Black Mirror,' and 'The Crown' signed a letter urging streaming platforms to implement royalty schemes, emphasizing that ongoing payments are crucial in their precarious profession
- Saul Metzstein, James Hawes, and Jeremy Lovering directed Apple TV’s 'Slow Horses' and are among those demanding streamers establish repeat payment systems similar to those used by public service broadcasters
- Sam Miller, John Crowley, and Colm McCarthy, directors of 'Black Mirror,' joined the call for streaming platforms to adopt royalty models already supported by U.K. public broadcasters and Sky
- Sam Donovan, Erik Richter Strand, and Jessica Hobbs, who directed episodes of 'The Crown,' affirmed that royalties act as a lifeline regardless of a director’s career success
- U.K. public service broadcasters and Sky currently contribute to a royalty scheme that compensates directors for reruns and sales, a model streamers have yet to adopt
- Dee Koppang O’Leary and Ben Palmer, directors of 'Rivals' and 'The Inbetweeners' respectively, added their names to the letter stressing that even modest royalty payments provide vital income stability
Why it matters: Thousands of directors rely on repeat payments for financial stability, yet streamers like Apple TV pay nothing for reruns despite airing shows globally. The absence of royalties shifts risk entirely onto creatives while platforms profit from long-term content value, deepening inequity in the industry.
