Writers commissioned by the BBC and BBC Studios are to get a 10% pay increase and improved residuals following renegotiations with the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB).

The revised Script Agreement for Television and Online sees the minimum rate for a 60-minute teleplay increase from £12,780 to £14,040.

Series minimum rates will rise to £12,900 per 60 minutes, dramatisations to £9,360 per 60 minutes and adaptations to £5,760 per 60 minutes.

In addition, BBC sketch writers will see a rise of 4% on minimum fees, taking the ‘per minute’ minimum rate to £123.

After residuals were a major stumbling block in last year’s U.S. strike talks, there has also been movement to ensure that writers will benefit from increased residuals across various platforms. This will be in the form of extract fees – for example in videogames or live events, where a writer will be paid a fee of £200 per 30 seconds for extracts over 30 seconds.

Commenting on the deal, WGGB general secretary Ellie Peers said: “In television, screenwriters’ work is now exploited in ways that we would never have imagined a decade or so ago, so it is important that our collective union agreements keep pace.

“Our negotiating team have worked long and hard to achieve that goal and to ensure that UK writers receive a sizable pay rise that they deserve during such challenging economic times for our creative sector.”

As well as work commissioned by the BBC, the renegotiation also covers work commissioned and exploited by commercial arm BBCS, on third-party linear and digital platforms including ITV, Sky, UKTV and Channel 4.

Nikki Touchard, director of rights and talent accounting at BBCS, said: “We are delighted to have worked with the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain and the PMA to agree new terms for writers on our scripted shows.”

This article first appeared on our sister site, Broadcast. Image credit: BBC Studios/Jonathan Browning.