DAYTIME OFF-PEAK RATE BOOSTS UK AIRINGS

THE SUCCESSFUL one-year trial of a new ‘off-off-peak’ rate for daytime repeats on BBC television, which has seen UK-made programmes replace US imports, has been extended to include new times during the day on both BBC1 and BBC2.
The BBC has paid over £1.5 million to performers in repeat fees in the first ten months of the trial.
Before this trial few British-made programmes were being broadcast at certain times of the day, and for many years the BBC had filled these slots with imports which were up to five-times cheaper than British programmes.
As a way of getting British programming into these slots Equity, the Trade Union that represents artists across the arts and entertainment spectrum, agreed to a lower repeat payment to the actors involved, for a trial period of one year.
Programmes shown in these off-off-peak slots include ‘To The Manor Born’, ‘The Good Life’, ‘Bread’, ‘Ever Decreasing Circles’, ‘Bergerac’, ‘Three Up and Two Down’ and ‘Blake’s 7’.
The BBC is guaranteeing that a minimum of £1.75 million a year will be paid to performers. The off-off-peak rate is based on an improved out-of-time escalator which, for older programmes, multiplies an artist’s original fee on which the repeat is based.