Pact


Pact/Bectu impasse spells looming concerns for UK scripted contracts

UK trade body Pact and trade union Bectu are struggling to reach a new deal for scripted TV productions. Last week, Pact proposed new terms for the Bectu/Pact TV Drama Agreement, which covers working terms and conditions for crew in the UK’s independent scripted business and is set to expire in September. However, Bectu boss […]

Pact CEO warns of indie closures if UK’s C4 privatised

John McVay, CEO of UK screen trade association Pact has warned that local indies will lose commissions or even go out of business if government plans to privatise broadcaster Channel 4 go ahead. Speaking ahead of today’s publication of two new reports examining the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the country’s indie production sector, […]

Pact & DiVA create 80 UK apprenticeships via Kickstart Scheme

The Kickstart Scheme, run by UK screen trade association Pact and media apprenticeships provider DiVA, has created 80 industry placements for young people. The UK-based initiative, which is part of the UK government’s Plan For Jobs, aims to create six-month work placements for young people aged 16-24 who are claiming Universal Credit and at risk […]

Pact launches initiative to support UK indie growth

Pact, the UK trade body for independent TV and film, is launching Future30, a new initiative to support 30 emerging indies in the country. The launch comes as Pact celebrates its 30th anniversary, along with a year of activities planned to “showcase and celebrate the disruption, innovation and creativity that indies have brought to the […]

UK government to hold formal Channel 4 privatisation review

The UK government is to hold a formal review into selling Channel 4, the British broadcaster behind hits such as It’s A Sin, following months of speculation about the service’s future. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has announced that it will oversee the review, which will examine whether privatising the broadcaster “could […]

UK broadcasters & trade bodies launch fund to close unscripted skills gaps

UK broadcasters, along with industry-led skills body ScreenSkills and trade body Pact, have teamed up to launch the new Unscripted TV Skills Fund, to address skills gaps and shortages in unscripted television across the country, with plans to increase training investment from £370,000 to £3 million per year by 2024. The BBC, Channel 4, Sky, A+E […]

Raise The Roof exec Jane Muirhead to vice-chair Pact Council

UK screen trade association Pact has appointed Raise The Roof co-founder Jane Muirhead as vice-chair of the Pact Council. The council oversees the work of the trade body, signing off budgets and financial plans, as well as agreeing the organisation’s policies, campaigns, terms of trade and collective agreements. Muirhead will take up her new post […]

UK drama drives record-breaking export figure to $2bn

UK dramas such as Chernobyl, His Dark Materials and The Feed have powered the country’s TV exports to a record-breaking £1.48bn ($2bn) in revenue over the past year, according to figures revealed today. Scripted series such as ITV Studios The War Of The Worlds and BBC Studios veteran drama Doctor Who accounted for 48% of all revenue, helping to push […]