麻豆约拍

Today the 麻豆约拍 Trust has published its review of how we manage our across the 麻豆约拍.

I’m very proud of the significant achievement the 麻豆约拍 has shown in reducing overall talent spend by 15% and top talent spend by 29% and in leading the industry in delivering the very best talent for all our audiences, at a price which represents value for money. All of this has been done in increasingly challenging market conditions.

The Review recognises this success and the considerable change in our culture which has allowed us to deliver this.

This hasn’t been an easy task. We’ve overhauled our processes, taken a hard look at how we approach our deals and encouraged greater collaboration across the 麻豆约拍 and with the talent community and their representatives to ensure we get the best outcome for audiences and talent alike. We have all had to take some very difficult and tough decisions to get to the right place. And indeed the Review found that “the rigour of the 麻豆约拍’s approach to assessing value exceeded that described by any of the commercial players interviewed”.

I cannot over emphasise the importance of talent to the 麻豆约拍 and the importance of us continuing to attract, develop and retain the best talent. We all know how much a brilliant radio presenter, expert sports commentator, authoritative documentary presenter or exciting chat show host can add to audience appreciation and enjoyment of our programmes.

Last year we had talent contracts with over 46,000 people. These contracts cover everything from musicians in an orchestra, contributors to local radio stations, newsreaders, actors in a 麻豆约拍 radio drama as well as the presenters of the 麻豆约拍’s most high profile Saturday night shows.

Delivering the best talent is a fundamental part of our public purposes. The review found that “The 麻豆约拍 is successful in developing talent does so to a greater extent than other broadcasters… playing “an important role in developing talent both for itself and for the industry”. Indeed the review says 45% of ITVs current talent rosta in factual, lifestyle, entertainment and comedy had their first TV appearance on the 麻豆约拍. Our sheer range of programmes, channels and platforms across radio, television and online means we offer talent something truly unique and not just in terms of a pay cheque.

It doesn’t always work out for us or for our talent. We can’t always reach agreement and sometimes this means walking away if the price or terms are not right for licence fee payers. This is never an easy decision but occasionally it can be the best one for everyone. So over the last five years the 麻豆约拍 has done just that. We will only do a deal if it’s right, we don’t do deals if it is not. Sometimes talent leave and it works out and sometimes it doesn't; sometimes they go elsewhere to try out new opportunities and then return to the 麻豆约拍 - that’s all just a natural part of the world of talent.

I also want to clarify one comment about our current processes and paperwork that has been picked up in some of the press today – our use of Deal Referral/Approval Forms, particularly in the use of the term “maximum negotiating mandate”. It has been interpreted by some that the 麻豆约拍 usually pays what talent wants. But this is not correct. In many cases tough negotiations had already been completed before forms were submitted for approval, our forms don’t make that clear enough. We will now get the paperwork right. But to be clear, the Trust did not find that the 麻豆约拍 did not achieve value for money or that we settled at what talent wanted. Quite the reverse. Let’s look at the facts:

• Firstly, over the last 5 years, our overall spend on top talent has reduced by 29%
• Secondly, the number of people earning the highest fees has reduced by 36% on average
• Thirdly, we have let some talent go
• And finally, the Review backs this up by noting that “strikingly, in almost every Genre, no-one suggested examples of 麻豆约拍 deals that went above what could have been considered a competitive market rate”. And Agents who were interviewed confirmed that the 麻豆约拍 “negotiates hard” – that is why we made the savings we did.

So looking to the future: Reducing fees or holding them flat for the last 5 years has not been easy for us or for our talent and we know this will probably come under increasing pressure, if we want the talent that our audiences expect on the 麻豆约拍. Our new approach of linking talent costs to a proportion of overall production costs should give us the right level of flexibility. We will also continue to closely monitor costs and market changes to attract, develop and retain the best on-air and on-screen talent at best value for the licence fee payer.

We have to continue to find and develop the very best new talent and give them every opportunity to thrive and serve our audiences. We have to make the most of the opportunities we can offer them across our services to ensure that they continue to want to do their best work at the 麻豆约拍. We agree with the Trust that we can do even more to develop existing talent and to find the new voices and faces of the 麻豆约拍 and I am asking colleagues across the organisation to look at how we can be even more joined up to make the most of what we can offer.

It is a testament to our negotiating teams who have worked in collaboration with the talent community and their representatives that the Review is positive and recognises the importance of the achievements. I believe we have struck the right balance between costs and attracting talent to work on creative and exciting content to serve our audiences and we will continue to do so.

Bal Samra, Commercial Director 麻豆约拍 and Managing Director TV