Broadcast Services Agreement Template (Gibraltar)

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 — a sports fixture list, a conference, a National Day event, a concert series. 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 for Gibraltar: copyright transfers only in writing, regulatory obligations stay with the licensed broadcaster under the Broadcasting Act 2012 framework, and the jurisdiction clause names the Supreme Court of Gibraltar.

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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. Licences held: .

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 and Delivery

The Broadcaster shall produce the coverage with reasonable skill and care using suitably qualified personnel, to this specification:

Minimum crew:
Coverage requirements:
Delivery:

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. The Broadcaster shall keep a copy of delivered material for at least 90 days.

5. 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 made in writing and signed by the Broadcaster. 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.

6. Clearances

Cleared by the Organiser:
Cleared by the Broadcaster:

Each party warrants that it has obtained the clearances allocated to it, including any consents and permissions needed for filming in a public space, and shall indemnify the other against claims arising from a failure to do so. The parties shall agree signage and accreditation wording covering the filming of participants and members of the public.

7. Regulatory Responsibility

Each party is responsible for its own regulatory obligations. The Broadcaster's obligations as a licensed broadcaster, including any licence conditions and rules about commercial content, remain its own and are not assumed by the Organiser. The Broadcaster shall tell the Organiser in advance what sponsorship credits or disclosures it will carry, so they do not conflict with the Organiser's own arrangements.

8. Names, Marks and Sponsorship

Each party grants the other a limited 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.

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

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

9. Fees and Expenses

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

10. 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, including weather rendering an outdoor event unsafe, neither is in breach; the Broadcaster is entitled to costs actually and unavoidably incurred.

11. Insurance and Liability

The Broadcaster shall 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. Each party's total liability is limited to . The limits do not apply to the clearance indemnities, to payment obligations, or to death or personal injury caused by negligence or to fraud.

12. Termination and Governing Law

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 shall pay for events already covered and for committed costs, and the Broadcaster shall deliver everything produced to that point. The ownership, clearance, licence and liability provisions survive.

This Agreement is the entire agreement on its subject matter, may only be varied in writing signed by both parties, and is governed by the law of Gibraltar. The parties shall first escalate any dispute to a senior representative of each party, and failing resolution within 30 days submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of Gibraltar.

For the Organiser

Date signed:

For the Broadcaster

Date signed:

Services or rights? Two documents

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 local licensing framework and short news reports, is linked from this page.

Ownership of the recordings

A live event produces an asset that outlasts the transmission: the master, the isolated feeds, the clips, the archive. Gibraltar follows the English model, so the author is the first owner and a transfer must be in writing signed by the assignor. An organiser that funds a season of 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. That clip licence is the permission organisations use every week and contracts forget every time.

Clearances, and who carries the regulatory load

Coverage of a live event sweeps up other people's rights: music played at the venue, commentators and on-camera contributors, screen content, sponsor branding and members of the public in shot. This template allocates each category and matches the indemnities to that allocation rather than relying on a general warranty that everything is fine.

Regulatory responsibility sits with the licensed broadcaster. The Broadcasting Act 2012 created a licensing regime administered with the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority, and an organiser cannot assume those obligations 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 arrangements.

Cancellation, insurance and a term that ends

Live events get cancelled, postponed, moved and shortened, and in Gibraltar weather and frontier logistics both play a part. 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 incurred.

It also replaces the perpetual auto-renewal with a defined term and a renewal needing agreement or notice, gives a termination-for-cause route with a cure period, and states the insurance required — venues and public spaces here routinely 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.
Ownership of recordings: 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, contributors, crew, venue and archive, with matching indemnities.
Regulatory responsibility: Leaves broadcasting licence obligations with the licensed party.
Commercial references: Sponsorship and advertising arrangements plus advance notice of credits.
Fees and expenses: Fee basis, invoicing, payment days and pre-approved expenses.
Cancellation and postponement: Graduated consequences by scenario, including abandonment after set-up.
Insurance and liability: Required cover, mutual indemnities and a cap with carve-outs.

Gibraltar compliance checklist

Put any transfer of copyright in writing, signed
Gibraltar follows the English model: the author is first owner and an assignment must be in writing signed by the assignor. Paying for a production does not transfer the master.
Leave licence obligations with the broadcaster
The Broadcasting Act 2012 created a broadcasting licensing regime administered with the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority. Those obligations belong to the licensee and cannot be assumed by an organiser.
Gibraltar Regulatory Authority — broadcasting
Confirm the business licence position
A production company carrying on business in Gibraltar needs a licence from the Office of Fair Trading under the Fair Trading Act 2023.
Office of Fair Trading Gibraltar
Allocate music licensing expressly
Music played at the venue, walk-on cues and packaged content raise separate licensing questions from the coverage itself. Name who clears each category.
Deal with public spaces and permissions
Events in public spaces may need permissions for filming, access and equipment. Say who obtains them and by when.
Confirm insurance covers the venue and any cross-frontier work
Cover often distinguishes premises from third-party venues, and may change once a crew crosses the frontier. Check before agreeing to a location.
Name Gibraltar law and its Supreme Court
Copying an English or American governing-law and dispute clause into a local production contract creates avoidable argument.

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 and the clip and archive licence for the party that does not own the masters.
Split the clearances. Confirm who clears music, contributors, crew, venue and public-space permissions.
Fix money and cancellation. Enter the fee basis, 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. Keeping them separate keeps the obligations and remedies straight, and the rights document is where the local licensing framework and short news reports belong.

Who owns the footage after the event?

Whoever the contract says — and in Gibraltar, as in England, a transfer must be in writing and signed. Without a clause the rights generally stay with the production company as author, and an organiser that funded a whole season can find it owns nothing of the archive. This template makes it an explicit switch.

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 is responsible for broadcasting licence compliance?

The licensed broadcaster. The Broadcasting Act 2012 created the licensing regime administered with the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority, and an organiser cannot take those obligations on by contract. The contract can require compliance and advance notice of sponsorship credits, which is what this one does.

Who clears the music played at the venue?

State it rather than assume it. Usually the organiser clears what is played at 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.

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 on the night — particularly for weather-dependent outdoor events.

Should the agreement auto-renew?

Not in the form the source template used — indefinite renewal with no notice period and no end. Use a defined renewal term with a notice deadline, or simply agree a new term when the season ends.

Related templates

Disclaimer

This template and guide are general information about Gibraltar practice, not legal, broadcasting-regulatory or insurance advice, and nobody has reviewed your production. Licensing and music-rights positions change; confirm the current position before you sign.