Broadcast Services Agreement Template (Australia)
Updated on 22 August 2026
A broadcast services agreement is what an organisation signs when it engages a broadcaster or production company to cover its events — as official broadcaster of a league, a conference, a concert series or a venue. It is a services contract with an intellectual property problem attached: somebody has to make the coverage, and somebody has to own the recordings afterwards.
The template this replaces forgets the second half. It has a scope clause, a logo licence and a fee, and says nothing about who owns the footage, who can cut highlights, who cleared the music and the talent, who insures the crew, or what happens when an event is cancelled. It also numbers three consecutive clauses "9", ties the term to "the first game for the season", renews indefinitely, and sends disputes to a single American arbitration body. This is a rebuild, with the Australian points that actually matter: copyright in a film vests in its maker unless the contract says otherwise, an assignment has to be in writing and signed, and compliance with the broadcasting industry codes sits with the licensee.
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Broadcast Services Agreement
This Agreement is made on between (ABN ) of (the “Organiser”) and (ABN ) of (the “Broadcaster”). The Organiser engages the Broadcaster to produce and deliver coverage of the events described below.
1. Appointment
The Broadcaster is appointed to produce, and where agreed to transmit, coverage of the events covered by this Agreement. Broadcasting licence held, where applicable: .
The appointment is exclusive: during the term the Organiser will not appoint another broadcaster or production company to produce coverage of the same events, except for its own internal recording, accredited news access and content for its own channels.
2. Term
This Agreement runs from to . Renewal: . Where renewal requires notice, it must be given at least days before the end of the term. This Agreement does not renew indefinitely.
3. Events Covered
The events covered are:
Either party may propose adding or removing an event on at least days' notice; a change takes effect only when the other agrees in writing, and the fee is adjusted on the same basis as a comparable event.
4. Production Standards
The Broadcaster will produce the coverage with due care and skill using suitably qualified personnel, to this specification:
- Minimum crew:
- Coverage requirements:
Editorial and technical decisions during production are the Broadcaster's, subject to the coverage requirements and to any brand and safety instructions the Organiser gives in advance.
5. Delivery
The Broadcaster will deliver as follows: Delivery includes the material specified and any raw or isolated feeds agreed, in the stated format, and the Broadcaster will keep a copy for at least 90 days after delivery.
6. Ownership of the Recordings
All copyright and other rights in the coverage, including the masters, isolated feeds and raw material, belong to the Organiser, and the Broadcaster assigns those rights to the Organiser by this Agreement with effect from payment for the event concerned. This assignment is in writing and signed by the Broadcaster as the Copyright Act 1968 requires. The Broadcaster is licensed to transmit and use the coverage as this Agreement and any separate rights agreement permit.
Clip and archive licence for the party that does not own the masters: . That licence is royalty-free, cannot be revoked for material already published in accordance with it, and permits ordinary editorial cuts but not changes that alter the meaning of what was recorded.
7. Clearances
- Cleared by the Organiser:
- Cleared by the Broadcaster:
Each party warrants that it has obtained the clearances allocated to it, including consents, licences and any award or collective obligations applying to the people and material concerned, and will indemnify the other against claims arising from a failure to do so. Neither party is responsible for clearances allocated to the other. The parties will agree signage and accreditation wording covering the filming of participants and members of the public.
8. Names, Marks and Promotion
Each party grants the other a limited, non-transferable licence to use its name, logo and marks during the term solely to identify and promote the coverage produced under this Agreement, in accordance with any brand guidelines supplied. Neither may register those marks, use them to endorse other products, or use them after the term except in an accurate factual reference to past work.
9. Sponsorship, Advertising and Codes
Sponsorship and advertising arrangements around the coverage are:
The Broadcaster is responsible for compliance with the broadcasting codes of practice applying to its transmissions, including any requirement to distinguish programme material from advertising, and will tell the Organiser in advance what sponsorship credits or disclosures it will carry so they do not conflict with the Organiser's own arrangements. Neither party will offer or accept undisclosed consideration in exchange for including material in the coverage.
10. Fees and Expenses
- Fee basis:
- Fee:
- GST:
- Payment terms:
- days from a valid tax invoice
- Expenses:
Expenses are reimbursed at cost against receipts only where pre-approved in writing.
11. Cancellation, Postponement and Force Majeure
- If the Organiser cancels an event more than days before it, % of the fee for that event is payable, plus non-recoverable committed costs.
- If the Organiser cancels within that window, % of the fee for that event is payable, plus non-recoverable committed costs.
- If an event is abandoned after the Broadcaster has arrived and begun rigging, % of the fee for that event is payable.
- If an event is postponed, the fee transfers to the new date if the Broadcaster is available, and the costs of the abandoned attempt are payable at cost.
- If an event cannot take place because of something genuinely outside both parties' control, neither is in breach; the Broadcaster is entitled to costs actually and unavoidably incurred and the balance of the fee is not payable.
12. Insurance
The Broadcaster will maintain the following insurance throughout the term and provide evidence on request, and in any event before first attendance at a venue that requires it:
13. Liability
Neither party is liable for indirect or consequential loss or for loss of profit, revenue or goodwill. Each party's total liability is limited to . The limits do not apply to the clearance indemnities or to payment obligations, and nothing in this Agreement excludes or limits liability that cannot be excluded or limited by law.
14. Termination
Either party may terminate immediately if the other commits a material breach and fails to remedy it within days of written notice, or becomes insolvent. On termination the Organiser will pay for events already covered and for committed costs, the Broadcaster will deliver everything produced to that point, and the ownership, clearance, licence and liability provisions survive.
15. General and Governing Law
- This Agreement is the entire agreement on its subject matter.
- Variations must be in writing and signed by both parties.
- Neither party may assign or subcontract the whole of this Agreement without the other's consent; the Broadcaster may use ordinary production subcontractors and remains responsible for them.
- Notices go to the addresses above or to an email address confirmed in writing.
This Agreement is governed by the law of . The parties will first escalate any dispute to a senior representative of each party, and if it is not resolved within 30 days either party may bring proceedings in the courts of .
For the Organiser
Date signed:
For the Broadcaster
Date signed:
Services or rights? Two documents, not one clause
Two deals hide behind "broadcast contract". In one the organiser buys production and transmission services and pays for them. In the other the organiser sells the right to exploit its event and gets paid. Real arrangements often combine them, but the clauses, the money and the remedies run in opposite directions.
This template covers the services side and records whether a separate rights licence exists. The companion rights document, which also deals with the anti-siphoning scheme, is linked from this page.
Ownership of the recordings, and the writing requirement
A live event produces an asset that outlasts the transmission: the master, the isolated feeds, the clips, the archive. Under the Copyright Act 1968 copyright in a cinematograph film generally vests in the maker, which for a commissioned production is usually the production company — and an assignment has no effect unless it is in writing signed by or on behalf of the assignor.
So an organiser that funds a season's coverage and says nothing about copyright can end up owning none of it. This template makes the choice a switch, with a written assignment in the document when the organiser is to own the masters, and a defined clip and archive licence back to whichever party does not own them. That licence is the everyday permission most contracts forget.
Clearances and industry-code compliance
Coverage of a live event sweeps up other people's rights: music played in the venue, commentators and on-camera talent, screen content, sponsor branding and members of the public in shot. Award and collective arrangements may set terms for the people appearing or working on the production. This template allocates each category and matches the indemnities to that allocation rather than relying on a general warranty.
Separately, a licensed broadcaster is subject to the codes of practice registered under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 and administered with the Australian Communications and Media Authority, which deal with matters including the distinction between programme and advertising material. Compliance sits with the licensee, so this template requires the broadcaster to comply and to tell the organiser in advance what sponsorship credits or disclosures it will carry, so they do not collide with the organiser's own commercial deals.
Cancellation, and a term that ends
Live events get cancelled, postponed, moved and shortened. A contract that only prices "per event" produces an argument the first time an event is abandoned after the crew has rigged. This template separates cancellation with notice, cancellation on the day, abandonment after set-up, postponement and an event genuinely prevented, and ties each to a proportion of the fee plus costs actually incurred.
It also replaces the perpetual auto-renewal with a defined term and a renewal needing positive agreement or notice, gives a real termination-for-cause route with a cure period, and states the insurance required — venues frequently want evidence before a production comes on site.
Clause-by-clause guide
- Appointment and status
- Appoints the broadcaster, says whether it is exclusive, and records whether a separate rights licence exists.
- Term and renewal
- A defined start and end with renewal by agreement or notice, not an indefinite roll-over.
- Events covered
- The schedule, and how events are added or dropped and on what notice.
- Production standards
- Technical specification, crew minimum, graphics, commentary and coverage requirements.
- Delivery
- What is delivered, in what format, to whom and by when, including raw material where needed.
- Ownership of the film
- A switch between organiser-owned and broadcaster-owned masters, with a written assignment where needed.
- Clip and archive licence
- The everyday permission for the party that does not own the masters.
- Clearances
- Splits music, participants, crew, venue, screens and archive, with matching indemnities.
- Marks and promotion
- Limited licences for each party to use the other's name and logo to promote the coverage.
- Commercial references and codes
- Sponsorship and advertising arrangements, plus the broadcaster's code compliance and advance notice of credits.
- Fees and expenses
- Fee basis, invoicing, payment days, GST and pre-approved expenses.
- Cancellation and postponement
- Graduated consequences by scenario, including abandonment after set-up.
- Insurance
- Cover for crew, equipment and public liability, with evidence on request.
- Termination
- Notice termination, termination for material breach with a cure period, and what happens to material produced.
Australian compliance checklist
Put any transfer of copyright in writing, signed
An assignment of copyright has no effect unless it is in writing signed by or on behalf of the assignor. Paying for a production does not transfer the master.
Copyright Act 1968, s.196Know who the maker of the film is
Copyright in a cinematograph film generally vests in the maker, which for a commissioned production is usually the production company unless the contract provides otherwise. Deal with it expressly.
Leave code compliance with the licensee
Codes of practice registered under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 and administered with the ACMA govern matters including the distinction between programme and advertising material, and compliance sits with the broadcasting licensee.
ACMA — broadcasting codesAllocate music licensing expressly
Music played in the venue, walk-on cues and packaged content raise separate licensing questions from the coverage itself. Name who clears each category.
Check award and collective arrangements for talent and crew
Performers, commentators, musicians and crew may be covered by awards or collective arrangements setting minimum terms or use fees. Confirm what applies before fixing the production budget.
Confirm insurance meets the venue's requirements
Venues commonly require evidence of public liability and equipment cover before a production is allowed on site, and required levels differ.
Deal with privacy for participants and the crowd
Filming identifiable people involves personal information. Agree signage, accreditation wording and how footage of the public is handled before the first event.
State the GST position
Say whether the fee is exclusive of GST and require valid tax invoices, so input tax credits are not in doubt.
How to complete this agreement
- Identify the parties and appointment. Enter the organiser and broadcaster, say whether the appointment is exclusive and whether a separate rights licence exists.
- Set the term and events. Add the start and end dates, the renewal basis and the events covered with the notice to add or drop one.
- Specify the production. Enter the technical specification, crew minimum, coverage requirements and delivery format and deadline.
- Choose who owns the film. Set the ownership switch and the clip and archive licence for the party that does not own the masters.
- Split the clearances. Confirm who clears music, participants, crew, venue and archive, and check the indemnities match.
- Fix money and cancellation. Enter the fee basis, GST position, payment days, expenses and the cancellation percentages.
- Review and sign. Read the rendered document, download the DOCX or print to PDF, and have both parties sign.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from a broadcast rights agreement?
This engages someone to produce and deliver the coverage — a services contract, normally paid by the organiser. A rights agreement licenses the right to exploit the event and is normally paid for by the broadcaster, and in Australia it also has to be checked against the anti-siphoning scheme. Keeping them separate keeps the obligations and remedies straight.
Who owns the footage after the event?
Whoever the contract says — and in Australia copyright in a film generally vests in its maker, usually the production company for a commissioned shoot, with any assignment needing to be in writing and signed. Without a clause an organiser that funded a whole season can find it owns nothing of the archive. This template makes it an explicit switch and includes the written assignment where the organiser is to own the masters.
Can the organiser post clips on its own channels?
Only if the contract grants it. That is why the clip licence appears in both ownership scenarios, with a stated duration, permitted channels and maximum clip length. Social clipping is the most common everyday use of event coverage and the most commonly forgotten permission.
Who clears the music played at the venue?
It should be stated rather than assumed. Usually the organiser clears what is played in the venue because it controls the playlist and the venue licences, and the production company clears library or packaged music it adds in the edit. This template allocates each category and matches the indemnities to that split.
Who is responsible for code compliance?
The broadcasting licensee. The registered codes of practice govern matters including the distinction between programme and advertising material, and an organiser cannot take that responsibility on by contract. What the contract can do, and this one does, is require the broadcaster to comply and to say in advance what sponsorship credits it will carry.
What happens if an event is cancelled after the crew arrives?
This template treats it separately from cancellation with notice: abandonment after rigging normally means the crew and equipment costs already incurred are payable, with the production element of the fee reduced. Setting the percentages in advance is far easier than arguing about force majeure on the night.
Should the agreement auto-renew?
Not in the form the source template used — indefinite renewal with no notice period and no end. If you want continuity, use a defined renewal term with a notice deadline, or agree a new term. Perpetual auto-renewal in a production contract suits nobody once the relationship changes.
Related templates
Disclaimer
This template and guide are general information about Australian practice, not legal, broadcasting-regulatory, industrial-relations or insurance advice, and nobody has reviewed your production. Music licensing and code obligations change; confirm the current position before you sign.
