Broadcast Rights Agreement Template (US)
Updated on August 22, 2026
A broadcast rights agreement licenses the right to show an event. Everything of value in it sits in four definitions: what exactly is being licensed, where, on what platforms and for how long, and whether anyone else can do the same thing at the same time. Get those four right and the rest of the contract is administration. Get them vague and you have sold something nobody can measure.
The source template gets the shape roughly right and then leaves the operative grant as a row of blanks — "the domestic right to broadcast belongs to the ______, while the rights to international broadcast belong to ______" — so a signed copy reads as a puzzle. More seriously, it invents a legal rule: it grants other networks a two-minute news-access right as though that were the licensor's to give. In the European Union a short news-reporting right exists by statute on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms, and it is not something a rights contract creates or caps. In the United States there is no equivalent statutory right, so news use is a matter of contract and of fact-specific fair-use analysis. That difference is exactly why this template treats news access as a defined contractual carve-out and says what it is based on.
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Broadcast Rights Agreement
This Broadcast Rights Agreement is made on between of (the “Licensor”) and of (the “Licensee”). The Licensor grants the Licensee the rights described below in relation to the Event.
1. The Event
The Event means:
The Licensor warrants that it holds the rights it grants under this Agreement, including any consents from participants, venues and governing bodies that are needed for the Licensee to exercise them, and that exercising them as permitted here will not infringe a third party's rights.
2. Grant of Rights
- Media and platforms:
- Territory:
- Languages and commentary:
- Exclusivity:
- Term:
- to
All rights not expressly granted above are reserved to the Licensor. In particular, no right is granted in any medium, platform, territory, language or window that is not listed, and the grant does not extend to betting or data feeds, virtual-reality or immersive formats, or archive exploitation unless stated.
The Licensor may itself continue to do the following, notwithstanding any exclusivity:
3. Windows and Holdbacks
- Live window:
- Delayed and repeat rights:
- Catch-up availability:
- days after the Event
- Holdbacks:
4. Production and Delivery of the Feed
Where the Licensor supplies the feed, it shall do so at the agreed technical standard and at the scheduled start time, and shall tell the Licensee as soon as possible about any change to the schedule. Where the Licensee produces the coverage, it shall have the access the Licensor has agreed and shall comply with the venue's accreditation and safety rules.
5. News Access
Notwithstanding any exclusivity, other broadcasters and news services may use extracts of the Event for general news reporting on these terms: extracts of no more than seconds, no more than times in any single news bulletin, not before hours after the Event has ended, with an on-screen credit to the Licensee, and only within general news programming — not within a sports, magazine or entertainment programme built substantially from Event footage.
This clause is a contractual permission given by the parties. It does not create, limit or replace any statutory right of access for short news reports that may exist under the law applicable to a particular broadcaster, and it does not determine whether any unlicensed use is lawful.
6. Sublicensing and Onward Carriage
The Licensee shall not sublicense, assign or authorise any third party to transmit or redistribute the Event, in whole or in part, without the Licensor's prior written consent. Ordinary distribution by the Licensee's own carriage partners is permitted only where the Licensor has approved those partners in writing.
7. Advertising and Sponsorship
Inventory is allocated as follows: Neither party shall accept an advertiser or sponsor in a category that conflicts with the other party's contracted title or category sponsor without first discussing it, and each party shall tell the other about such a conflict as soon as it becomes aware of it.
8. Rights Fee and Payment
- Rights fee:
- Instalments:
- Payment terms:
- days from a correct invoice
The fee is exclusive of taxes properly chargeable. If an instalment is not paid within fourteen days of a written reminder, the Licensor may suspend the rights granted until it is paid, and interest runs at the rate the parties have agreed or, failing agreement, at the statutory rate. If the Licensor fails to deliver the feed or the access it has agreed, the Licensee may withhold the proportion of the fee attributable to the affected events until it is remedied.
9. Reporting and Audit
The Licensee shall provide the following: The Licensor may audit the records supporting those reports once in any twelve-month period, on days' notice, during business hours, using an auditor bound by confidentiality. The Licensor bears the cost of the audit unless it reveals an underpayment of more than five per cent, in which case the Licensee bears it and pays the shortfall.
10. Anti-piracy and Territorial Protection
The Licensee shall apply the following measures and shall not knowingly make the Event available outside the Territory: Each party shall tell the other promptly about unauthorised distribution it becomes aware of, and shall give reasonable cooperation with takedowns and enforcement. Enforcement decisions about the Licensor's rights remain the Licensor's.
11. Marks and Promotion
Each party grants the other a limited licence to use its name, logo and marks during the term to promote the coverage of the Event, in accordance with any brand guidelines supplied and subject to approval of first use of any new creative. Neither party may suggest a wider relationship than this Agreement creates, and neither may use the other's marks after the term except in an accurate factual statement about past coverage.
12. Cancellation, Curtailment and Force Majeure
- If the Event does not take place at all, the fee attributable to it is not payable and any advance paid for it is refunded.
- If a season or series is only partly delivered, the fee is reduced pro rata by reference to the events actually delivered.
- If the Event is curtailed after transmission has begun, the parties shall agree a proportionate reduction reflecting what was delivered.
- If the Event is moved to a different date or venue, the rights continue to apply to it as moved, provided the Licensee can still exercise them; if it cannot, the fee for that event is treated as for a cancelled event.
- If the Event takes place without spectators or in a materially altered format, that alone does not reduce the fee unless the parties have agreed otherwise.
- Neither party is liable for a failure caused by an event genuinely outside its control, but this clause does not excuse a failure to pay sums already due.
13. Term, Termination and Archive
This Agreement runs for the term stated above. 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. Archive position after the term: .
On termination the Licensee shall stop transmitting the Event, may complete any transmission already in progress, and shall deal with recordings as the archive position requires. Accrued payment obligations, the confidentiality provisions and the anti-piracy cooperation obligations survive.
14. General and Governing Law
- This Agreement is the entire agreement on its subject matter and supersedes earlier discussions and heads of terms.
- Changes must be in writing and signed by both parties.
- Neither party may assign this Agreement without the other's written consent, except to a successor of its business that can perform it.
- Nothing in this Agreement creates a partnership, joint venture or agency between the parties.
- If any provision is unenforceable, the remainder continues in force.
- Notices go to the addresses above or to an email address the parties confirm in writing.
This Agreement is governed by the laws of , and the parties shall first escalate any dispute to a senior representative of each party.
If the dispute is not resolved within thirty days of escalation, either party may bring proceedings in the courts of , to whose jurisdiction the parties submit.
For the Licensor
Date signed:
For the Licensee
Date signed:
Define the rights, not the vibe
A modern grant needs five dimensions, not one. The medium and platform: linear television, cable and satellite carriage, streaming on the licensee's own service, third-party platforms, betting or data feeds. The territory, defined by country rather than by "domestic and international". The window: live, near-live, delayed, catch-up for a stated number of days, archive. The language and commentary rights. And exclusivity, which can be full, platform-limited, or non-exclusive with a first window.
This template asks for each separately and states that anything not granted is reserved to the licensor. That reservation sentence is the most valuable line in the document, because it decides who owns the rights nobody thought about when the deal was signed — which for the last decade has consistently been the platforms that did not exist yet.
News access is a carve-out, not a gift
Every exclusive rights deal needs to say what other news organisations may use, because they will use something. The workable approach is a defined carve-out: a maximum clip length, a maximum number of uses per bulletin, a delay before first use, an obligation to credit, and a restriction to general news programming rather than sports or entertainment shows built out of somebody else's footage.
What the contract should not do is present that carve-out as the source of the other broadcaster's rights. In the EU, and in the national laws implementing the audiovisual media services rules, broadcasters have a statutory right of access for short news reports on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. In the US there is no such statutory right, and unlicensed news use is analysed as fair use, which is fact-specific and not something either party can pre-agree. The template states the carve-out as a contractual permission and notes both positions, which is what the localized versions of this page build on.
The pooled-rights question for leagues
If the licensor is a league selling the rights of its member clubs together, US antitrust law is directly relevant. The Sports Broadcasting Act exempts certain joint agreements by which a league of clubs in professional football, baseball, basketball or hockey sells the sponsored telecasting rights of its member clubs, and that exemption is the reason league-wide broadcast deals are structured the way they are.
Its scope is narrow and much debated, particularly for cable and streaming arrangements that were not contemplated in 1961. This template does not attempt to resolve that: it asks whether the licensor is selling pooled rights, and if so flags that the structure needs specialist antitrust review before signature. That is more useful than a template that silently assumes the exemption applies.
Carriage, retransmission and who gets paid downstream
In the US a further layer sits under the licence: a cable operator or other multichannel distributor generally needs the consent of a commercial broadcast station before retransmitting its signal, and that consent is itself negotiated and paid for. A rights agreement that ignores downstream carriage can leave the licensor with no visibility of where its event actually appears, or of the value being generated further down the chain.
The template therefore asks explicitly whether the licensee may sublicense or authorise onward carriage, whether the licensor shares in any consideration received for it, and what reporting the licensor gets. If the answer is that sublicensing is prohibited, the contract says so plainly rather than leaving it to be argued.
Anti-piracy, reporting and audit
The commercial reality of live rights is that they leak. A licence that says nothing about geo-blocking, takedown obligations, watermarking or reporting leaves enforcement entirely with the party that has the least information about it.
This template sets obligations on the licensee to apply the geographic restrictions it has been granted, to use reasonable technical measures against unauthorised redistribution, and to cooperate with takedowns. It pairs that with reporting: audience or viewing data, advertising and sponsorship revenue where the licensor shares in it, and an audit right with a stated notice period. It also puts in a payment-suspension mechanism that works in both directions, rather than the source's one-sided suspension of the licensee's rights on non-payment.
Clause-by-clause guide
- Parties and the event
- Defined licensor and licensee — replacing the source's blanks — and a precise description of the event or events licensed.
- Grant of rights
- The operative clause: media, platforms, territory, languages and windows, with everything not granted reserved to the licensor.
- Exclusivity
- Full, platform-limited or non-exclusive, and what the licensor may still do itself.
- Windows and holdbacks
- Live, delayed, catch-up and archive periods, plus any holdback before another licensee's window opens.
- Production and delivery of the feed
- Who produces the coverage and who bears the cost, and how the feed reaches the licensee.
- News access carve-out
- Clip length, uses per bulletin, delay, credit and permitted programme types — stated as a contractual permission, with the statutory position noted.
- Sublicensing and onward carriage
- Whether the licensee may sublicense or authorise retransmission, and whether the licensor shares in that consideration.
- Advertising and sponsorship inventory
- Who sells what, category conflicts between event sponsors and broadcast advertisers, and any revenue share.
- Rights fee and payment
- The fee, instalments, payment days, taxes and what happens on late payment — in both directions.
- Reporting and audit
- Viewing data, revenue reports where relevant, and an audit right with notice and a cost-shifting threshold.
- Anti-piracy and geo-restriction
- Applying the territorial limits, technical protection measures and cooperation on takedowns.
- Marks, promotion and archive
- Licences to use each other's marks to promote the coverage, and what happens to recordings after the term.
- Force majeure and abandoned events
- Fee consequences where an event is cancelled, curtailed or moved, rather than a bare force-majeure clause.
- Term, termination and effects
- Defined term, termination for material breach with a cure period, and what the licensee may keep doing afterwards.
US points to check
Check whether the pooled-rights exemption is being relied on
The Sports Broadcasting Act exempts certain joint agreements by which a league of clubs in professional football, baseball, basketball or hockey sells the sponsored telecasting rights of its member clubs. Its scope is narrow and contested for newer distribution models, so a league-wide deal needs specialist antitrust review rather than an assumption.
15 U.S.C. ch. 32 — telecasting of professional sports contestsAccount for downstream retransmission consent
A cable operator or other multichannel distributor generally needs the consent of a commercial broadcast station to retransmit its signal, and that consent is separately negotiated. Say in the contract whether sublicensing and onward carriage are permitted and how the licensor sees the value.
47 U.S.C. § 325Do not assume a US short news-reporting right
Unlike the EU regime, US law gives no general statutory right of access for short news reports. Unlicensed news use is analysed as fair use and is fact-specific, so define the news carve-out contractually instead of presenting it as a rule.
Fix ownership of the feed and the archive
A licence to broadcast is not ownership of the recording. State who owns the master and the archive, and whether the licensee may retain a copy after the term.
Handle sponsorship identification where the coverage is paid for
If the coverage is transmitted on a licensed broadcast station in exchange for consideration, sponsorship identification obligations sit with the station. Allocate responsibility rather than leaving it out.
47 C.F.R. § 73.1212Reserve unlisted rights expressly
New distribution channels appear faster than contracts are renewed. A clause reserving everything not expressly granted keeps future platforms with the licensor by default.
Check personality and participant consents
Athletes, performers and other participants may have contractual or statutory rights over the commercial use of their name and likeness. Confirm the licensor actually holds what it is granting.
How to complete this agreement
- Name the parties and the event. Enter the licensor and licensee and describe precisely which event, season or fixtures are licensed.
- Build the grant. Set the media and platforms, the territory by country, the languages, and each window with its duration.
- Set exclusivity and holdbacks. Choose the exclusivity level, then state what the licensor may still do and any holdback before another window opens.
- Define the news carve-out. Enter the clip length, uses per bulletin, delay before first use and credit requirement.
- Decide on sublicensing and inventory. State whether onward carriage is permitted and how advertising and sponsorship inventory and revenue are split.
- Set the fee, reporting and audit. Add the fee and instalments, the reporting the licensor receives and the audit notice period.
- Review, download and sign. Check that the grant, territory, windows and exclusivity all say what you intended, then download and sign.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between broadcast rights and a broadcast services contract?
A rights agreement licenses the right to exploit the event, and the money usually flows from the broadcaster to the rights holder. A services agreement engages someone to produce and deliver the coverage, and the money usually flows the other way. Many deals contain both, but they should be separate documents or clearly separated parts, because the obligations and remedies are different. The companion services template is linked from this page.
How should the territory be defined?
By named countries or regions, not by "domestic and international". Streaming makes territorial definitions load-bearing: the licensee has to know exactly where it must geo-block, and the licensor has to know exactly what it can still sell elsewhere. Add whether the territory includes overseas territories, in-flight and maritime, and armed-forces networks, because those are the standard points of argument.
Can other broadcasters show clips of the event?
That depends on where you are, which is why the news carve-out in this template is expressed as a contractual permission with a stated basis. In the EU, broadcasters have a statutory right of access for short news reports on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms, and a rights contract cannot remove it. In the US there is no equivalent statutory right and unlicensed use is assessed as fair use, which is fact-specific. Either way, define clip length, delay, uses per bulletin and credit.
Is the two-minute news limit in most templates a real rule?
No. It is a contractual figure that has been copied from template to template. National implementations of the EU short-reporting right commonly set their own limits and conditions, and the US has no statutory figure at all. Pick a number that suits your event, and do not present it as law.
Can the licensee sublicense to another platform?
Only if the contract says so. This template makes sublicensing and onward carriage an express decision, with a revenue share option and reporting, because in the US downstream carriage of a broadcast signal generally requires the station's consent and is separately negotiated and paid for. Silence here is how rights holders lose visibility of where their event is actually being shown.
What happens to the rights fee if the event is cancelled?
The template sets it out by scenario rather than relying on a general force-majeure clause: full cancellation, curtailment part-way through, a move to a different venue or date, and a behind-closed-doors variation. Each has a defined effect on the fee, with a pro-rata mechanism where a season is only partly delivered.
Do we need to worry about antitrust?
If a league is selling the pooled rights of its member clubs, yes. The Sports Broadcasting Act exempts certain joint sales of sponsored telecasting rights for specified professional sports, but its scope is narrow and contested for cable and streaming models. This template flags the question rather than assuming an answer, and a pooled-rights deal should have specialist antitrust review before signature.
Who owns the recording of the event afterwards?
Not automatically the licensee. A licence to transmit is not ownership of the master, and the archive is often worth more over time than the original window. State who owns the master, who may keep a copy after the term, and on what terms archive material can be re-used or licensed on.
Related templates
Disclaimer
This template and guide are general information, not legal, antitrust, broadcasting-regulatory or tax advice. No attorney has reviewed your deal. Rights structures for pooled and streaming distribution raise specialist questions; take advice before signing a significant rights agreement.
