Broadcast Services Agreement Template (Canada)

Updated on August 22, 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: someone has to make the coverage, and someone 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 version rebuilds it with the Canadian points that matter: copyright transfers only in writing signed by the owner, moral rights can be waived but not assigned, and regulatory obligations stay with the regulated party.

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Broadcast Services Agreement

This Agreement is made on between of (the “Organiser”) and 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 or registration held, where applicable: .

OptionalExclusive appointmentAppoint this broadcaster as the only official broadcaster for the events covered.

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.

OptionalA separate rights licence existsRecord that exploitation rights are dealt with in a separate agreement.

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 reasonable skill and care 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 Recordings

OptionalOrganiser owns the recordingsOn: the organiser owns the masters. Off: the broadcaster owns them and licenses clips back.

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 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. Moral Rights

The parties acknowledge that moral rights cannot be assigned but may be waived. Each party waives, and will obtain from its own personnel and contributors a waiver of, moral rights only to the extent necessary for the coverage to be transmitted, re-edited into highlights and promotional material, and published without individual attribution where the format does not readily allow it. No waiver extends to treatment that distorts what was recorded or misrepresents a contributor.

8. Clearances

Cleared by the Organiser:
Cleared by the Broadcaster:

Each party warrants that it has obtained the clearances allocated to it, including consents, collective-society licences and any collective-agreement obligations applying to the people and material concerned, and will indemnify the other against claims arising from a failure to do so. The parties will agree signage and accreditation wording covering the filming of participants and members of the public.

9. Regulatory Responsibility

Each party is responsible for its own regulatory obligations. The Broadcaster's obligations as a broadcasting or online undertaking, including any conditions of licence or of service and any code obligations about commercial content, remain its own and are not assumed by the Organiser. The Broadcaster 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.

10. 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.

OptionalSponsorship and advertising clauseDeal with commercial inventory and disclosure around the coverage.

11. Sponsorship and Advertising

Sponsorship and advertising arrangements around the coverage are: Neither party will offer or accept undisclosed consideration in exchange for including material in the coverage.

12. Fees, Taxes and Expenses

Fee basis:
Fee:
Sales taxes:
Payment terms:: days from a valid invoice
Expenses:

Expenses are reimbursed at cost against receipts only where pre-approved in writing.

13. 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.

14. Insurance and Liability

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:

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, to payment obligations, or to bodily injury caused by negligence or to fraud.

15. 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, moral-rights, clearance, licence and liability provisions survive.

16. 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 laws of and the federal laws of Canada applicable there. 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? Keep them separate

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 language rights and substitution, is linked from this page.

Ownership, 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 an assignment or grant of an interest in copyright is not valid unless it is in writing signed by the owner, 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 where the organiser is to own the masters, and a defined clip and archive licence back to whichever party does not. Moral rights are handled by waiver rather than assignment, because in Canada they cannot be assigned — an important detail where coverage will be re-edited into highlights packages.

Clearances and who carries the regulatory load

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. Collective societies administer music rights in Canada, and performers' and crew agreements may set terms. This template allocates each category and matches the indemnities to that allocation.

Regulatory responsibility sits with the regulated party. A broadcasting or online undertaking's obligations under the Broadcasting Act and its conditions of licence or service belong to it, and an organiser cannot assume them by contract. What the contract can do is require 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, tying 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 that needs positive agreement or notice, gives a termination-for-cause route with a cure period, and states the insurance required, since 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 recordings: A switch between organiser-owned and broadcaster-owned masters, with a written assignment where needed.
Moral rights: Waiver of defined scope, because moral rights cannot be assigned in Canada.
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.
Regulatory responsibility: Leaves broadcasting obligations and conditions of service with the regulated party.
Commercial references: Sponsorship and advertising arrangements plus advance notice of credits.
Fees, taxes and expenses: Fee basis, invoicing, payment days, sales taxes and pre-approved expenses.
Cancellation and postponement: Graduated consequences by scenario, including abandonment after set-up.
Insurance and liability: Required cover, mutual indemnities tied to the clearance split, and a cap with carve-outs.

Canadian points to check

Put any transfer of copyright in writing, signed
An assignment or grant of an interest in copyright is not valid unless in writing signed by the owner. Paying for a production does not transfer the master.
Copyright Act, s.13
Waive moral rights rather than purporting to assign them
Moral rights cannot be assigned in Canada but may be waived. Use a waiver of defined scope, particularly where coverage will be re-edited.
Leave regulatory obligations with the regulated party
A broadcasting or online undertaking's obligations under the Broadcasting Act and its conditions of licence or service belong to it, and cannot be assumed by an organiser through a services contract.
CRTC
Allocate music licensing expressly
Music played in the venue, walk-on cues and packaged content raise separate licensing questions from the coverage itself, and collective societies administer many of those rights. Name who clears each category.
Check performer and crew arrangements
Performers, commentators, musicians and crew may be covered by collective agreements 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 liability and equipment cover before a production is allowed on site, and required levels differ.
State the tax position
Say whether the fee is exclusive of GST/HST and QST and require valid invoices, so input tax credits are not in doubt.
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.

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 recordings. Set the ownership switch, keep the moral-rights waiver, and set the clip and archive licence.
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, tax 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 Canada it also has to deal with language rights and possibly simultaneous substitution. Keeping them separate keeps the obligations and remedies straight.

Who owns the footage after the event?

Whoever the contract says — and in Canada an assignment of copyright is not valid unless it is in writing signed by the owner. 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.

What about moral rights?

They cannot be assigned in Canada, but they can be waived. That matters for event coverage, which is routinely re-cut into highlights and promos. This template uses a waiver of defined scope covering attribution format and reasonable editing, while preserving the position against changes that distort what was recorded.

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 holds the venue licences, and the production company clears library or packaged music it adds in the edit. Collective societies administer many of those rights, so name who deals with which.

Who is responsible for regulatory compliance?

The regulated party. A broadcasting or online undertaking's obligations and conditions of licence or service belong to it, and an organiser cannot take them on by contract. What the contract can do 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 easier than arguing about force majeure on the night.

Related templates

Disclaimer

This template and guide are general information about Canadian practice, not legal, broadcasting-regulatory, labour or insurance advice, and nobody has reviewed your production. Music licensing and regulatory obligations change; confirm the current position before you sign.