The broadcaster says yes to the series. That is when the real negotiation starts. How much will they pay per episode, for how many years can they show it, and who keeps the right to sell it abroad? The business affairs manager sits down with the broadcaster's own business affairs team and works through the deal clause by clause. The business affairs manager turns a creative yes into a contract both sides can live with.

What a business affairs manager does

Every production rests on contracts. There is the main deal with whoever pays for it, plus agreements with writers, directors, presenters, actors, composers and the owners of any book or format it is based on. Business affairs negotiates the commercial terms of those deals. Think of fees, rights, territories, the length of a licence and what happens if the project is cancelled. A production lawyer usually drafts or checks the legal text.

At a production company, business affairs protects the company's interests. They push for a fair licence fee and try to keep as many rights as possible, because those rights can earn money later. At a broadcaster or streamer, the role sits on the other side of the table. There business affairs negotiates with production companies on the broadcaster's behalf and checks that the rights the channel buys match what it plans to do with the programme.

Responsibilities

  • Negotiate the production agreement with broadcasters, streamers, financiers or distributors
  • Agree fees and terms for writers, directors, presenters and other talent
  • Secure option deals on books, articles, life stories or formats
  • Track which rights the company owns, for how long and in which territories
  • Work with lawyers on contract wording and with finance on payment schedules
  • Advise producers on what a deal allows and what it does not

How the role touches the budget

Quite a lot, through the top of the budget. Fees for writers, directors and lead talent sit in the above-the-line part of the budget, and business affairs often agrees those figures. They also shape the income side, because the licence fee and the payment schedule in the main deal decide when money arrives. A slow payment schedule can force a production to borrow or delay, so producers and the financial controller watch it closely.

How people get into the role

Many business affairs managers trained as lawyers. Others come from contracts or rights departments, from talent agencies, or from production management, learning the deal side on the job. A good knowledge of how productions are financed is as useful as legal training.

At a broadcaster

At a broadcaster, business affairs works closely with the commissioning editor who chose the programme and with the rights and clearances team, who make sure everything in the finished programme is cleared for broadcast.