Screenrights has announced that a record $47.6 million was available for distribution to members in the 2020/21 financial year, with $45.3 million distributed to 1,437 members.
“In 2020/21 Screenrights achieved our second highest distribution year on record, while the Disbursements and Royalties (World) services each recorded record years for collections,” said Board Chair Kim Dalton. “Importantly, the organisation continues to advocate on behalf of our members to make sure that they continue to receive fair compensation for their content. In 2020/21, Screenrights negotiated a new Australian schools agreement for the Educational Licence over the coming years, and has been engaging with the Australian government and other stakeholders in relation to proposed copyright access reforms.”
Usage of the Australian Educational Licence continued on a massive growth trajectory with the demands of remote learning, with usage records up 48% on the previous year, confirming the continued importance of the licence to the Australian education sector. “We’ve seen a continuation in the heightened use of screen productions to support students in learning from home environments, and we’re proud that our members’ programs provide such valuable educational tools,” said Screenrights Chief Executive James Dickinson. “FY2020/21 continued to bring challenges to the sectors we work with – to Screenrights members, who create our screen content; and to our licensees, particularly educators using our members’ content to reach students online. In spite of the challenges, a record $47.6 million was available for distribution to Screenrights members this financial year.”
At its AGM held remotely on Thursday 28 October, Screenrights Chair Kim Dalton also revealed the Board election results.
Elected to the Screenrights Board is executive producer, writer and director as Karina Holden, whose 25 years’ experience in documentary and factual film making for global networks has seen her recognised by the Australian Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence.
Returned to the Screenrights Board are: Kim Dalton, Director since 2015 and Chair of the Board since 2019; Georgina Waite, Director since 2018 and Deputy Chair since 2019; and Jonathan Carter, Authorial (Music) Director since 2017.
Further highlights from Screenrights’ 2020/21 year in review are available here. A full copy of the Annual Report will be available once it has been tabled in Parliament.
ABOUT SCREENRIGHTS
Screenrights is a non-profit organisation that provides rights and royalty management services to the screen industry, and facilitates access to screen content for licensees. We license Australian and NZ educators, and Australian government and pay TV retransmitters, to copy and communicate broadcast content. From the licence fees we collect, Screenrights distributes royalty payments to rightsholder members for the programs being used. Screenrights also provides services to the screen industry such as worldwide royalty collection, film and television disbursements, performer residuals management, and an annual Cultural Fund. www.screenrights.org
