SAG-AFTRA & JPC Reach Deal For TV & Radio Commercials Agreements

On April 6, the Joint Policy Committee (ANA/4As) and SAG-AFTRA announced a tentative agreement for the 2013 TV & Radio Commercials Contracts.

The deal is scheduled to be reviewed by the SAG-AFTRA Board of Directors on April 20-21. Once approved, the agreement will then be sent to SAG-AFTRA membership for ratification, after which the new rate charts will be published.

So how will these new contracts impact advertisers and ad agencies?

All new commercial sessions that started on or after April 1, 2013 will be subject to the new rates, as will “new” commercials that are edited from existing footage. Payments made now for these commercials will need to be supplemented to new rates, once those are approved.

Here are some tips on what to consider while the final rates are undergoing approval:

• Rate changes could take effect in two ways. First, there will likely be an across-the-board increase in all scale wage rates, plus an increase in Pension & Health contributions. Second, there may also be changes to the formulae used to calculate a particular residual type. That will have a compounding effect on the increase, and will be important to consider when determining residual budgets.

• If you’re negotiating a new 21-month maximum use period for a commercial, it may be best to wait for the finalized rates before agreeing to new terms with agents. Typically, agents ask for the “new” wage scales, along with an additional percentage, so you’ll want to calculate just how much of an increase that amounts to.

• Any Term or Celebrity Contracts that have an effective start date of April 1, 2013 or later will likely be affected by an increase in the Pension & Health contribution rate.

The Extreme Reach Business Affairs team is here to help you navigate these changes. If you have any questions on the new deal between SAG-AFTRA and the JPC, feel free to contact us!

Jo Ann Kessler is the VP/Director of Business Affairs at Extreme Reach.

Business Affairs Round Table Recap: Defining A Commercial

Recently, I had the pleasure of being a host at The Business Affairs Round Table in NYC, sponsored by Extreme Reach.

The venue was at capacity as Business Affairs, Casting and Production professionals discussed commercial production and union talent issues currently facing the industry.

I’d like to thank our keynote speaker, Stacy Marcus, an attorney in Reed Smith’s Advertising & Technology group. Stacy is well-known for her position as a negotiator for the ANA/4A’s Joint Policy Committee, which bargains the talent union contracts on behalf of the advertising industry. Her presentation, “To Be or Not To Be… A Commercial”, touched on some pressing topics.

Determining when branded videos fall under union contracts on the web isn’t easy. There is no hard and fast definition of an “internet commercial” in the SAG Commercials Contract — yet how we pay the performers and “real” people that appear in Web content depends on that contract’s language. And the difference in price can be substantial. As a result, this topic generated a wave of questions and numerous descriptions of the dilemmas industry professionals face on a regular basis. For example, length alone doesn’t define a commercial. Content that runs two minutes and 43 seconds can be considered a commercial. Content that’s 30 seconds may not be.

The discussion was lively, entertaining and illuminating. And I’ve barely touched the surface of what was covered.

Although this was just the inaugural event, I’m confident that future Business Affairs Round Table meetings will provide a great opportunity for our industry to share ideas and discover solutions. We’re looking forward to hosting these gatherings in New York, Chicago, LA and elsewhere on a regular basis. If you’re interested in learning about future events, or have suggestions for topics you’d like covered, contact us! We’d love to hear from you.

Jo Ann Kessler is the VP, Director of Business Affairs at Extreme Reach.

Extreme Reach Addresses Talent And Rights Concerns In TV & Web Advertising

Manage talent & third-party rights with the Extreme Reach platform.

Today the Extreme Reach team is excited to unveil an industry first in video advertising.

We’ve launched our integrated suite of tools allowing advertisers to manage talent contracts and third-party rights within the Extreme Reach ad delivery platform.

By bringing talent/rights management to the same platform, we’re enabling our customers to eliminate risks associated with putting video ad campaigns on TV and the web. Video ads run only where they’re allowed to run, and compliance is easy to manage. As a result, advertisers can streamline workflows while avoiding costly errors, fines and delays.

This integration also enables more efficient talent payment and production budgeting. What’s more, all of that information is clearly presented with each ad in the Extreme Reach Creative Library.

We invite you to learn more about the latest tools available to TV and Online advertisers in our latest press release.

Live from IAB Innovation Days in NYC: Managing Risks in Online Video Advertising

Members of our team mingled with the crowds at IAB Innovation Days in NYC this week, and it’s been great to be a part of the dialogue over the last couple days. As the last day wraps up, we’re honored to have taken part in one of the “screens”, or panel discussions, earlier this afternoon.

The panel we hosted was called “Managing the Risks Involved with Talent and Third-Party Rights in Online Video Advertising.” Speaking were Robert Haskitt, our Chief Marketing Officer, and Tim Hale, our Chief Talent Officer.

The fast-paced workshop covered talent payment and rights management capabilities new to our platform, and how they can make a big impact in streamlining workflows for advertisers who place video ads on TV, cable AND online.

With our new features, including keeping track of talent and rights expirations, payments and more, it is now possible to easily–even automatically–avoid the risks that can come with advertising on the Web and on television.

Interested in learning more? Contact us!

Join Us At IAB Innovation Days

Internet Week in NYC is just around the corner! If you’re in town for the event, be sure to stop by the Managing Risks in Online Video workshop at IAB Innovation Days next Thursday.

The Extreme Reach team will be on hand to discuss the risks involved with talent and 3rd-party rights in online video advertising.

We’ll cover several of the nuances involved in talent and 3rd-party rights agreements, how they can adversely affect online campaigns, and how to proactively avoid issues that can be expensive and restrictive when it comes to campaign execution and results. We’ll also show how advertisers can bring control, efficiencies and opportunities to online advertising.

The workshop takes place on Thursday May 17 at 2 PM.

Not able to make the session? No worries! Feel free to visit our blog early next week to catch up on all the details.

Hope to see you there,

Tim Hale, Chief Talent Officer
Robert Haskitt, Chief Marketing Officer

MediaPost: Three Important Tips For Your Next Video Ad Campaign

Extreme Reach CMO Robert Haskitt recently shared some tips with MediaPost on online video and TV campaign management.

Get the top 3 tips to ensure your ads are protected against quality and talent rights issues in this
new article.

Extreme Reach Named a 2012 “Cool Vendor” by Leading Research Firm

We’re very excited to be one of Gartner’s Cool Vendors in Media for 2012!

According to the report, here are some of the very “cool” reasons we made the list:

• The Extreme Reach platform is the only pure software solution that streamlines the management and delivery of video advertising across TV and the Web.
• Our platform has further simplified video advertising workflows by integrating talent and rights compliance with the ad delivery process.

You can learn more in our latest press release. And if you agree, let us know by visiting our Facebook page.

Extreme Reach CTO Dan Brackett Shares How The Cloud Is Changing Ad Distribution

Our CTO, Dan Brackett, recently spoke at NAB about the shift to cloud technology in TV advertising. Watch the interview and find out just how much ad distribution is changing as content and ad management migrates to the cloud.

Extreme Reach CEO John Roland Shares Insights With Beet.TV

Extreme Reach CEO John Roland spoke with Beet.TV about the value that’s gained when talent rights management and ad delivery are combined into a single platform. Watch the video and get a glimpse of what’s on the horizon for Extreme Reach!

Extreme Reach Acquires Spotlight Business Affairs

Extreme Reach has announced they have acquired Spotlight Business Affairs, a leading commercial talent rights management and payment company. Together, the two companies will provide the industry’s first video advertising platform that automatically ensures every commercial asset delivered for use on TV or on a website has been authorized for that specific usage before the ad can be delivered or served.

The integration of talent and distribution on a single platform will eliminate unexpected costs and risks for advertisers and agencies. The combination has broad-reaching implications for TV and online video advertising. It will eliminate unexpected costs and risks associated with potential breaches in talent and rights agreements for advertisers and agencies. The elimination of those concerns will subsequently enable greater efficiency in cross-channel campaign execution, improvements in cross-channel audience experiences and an expanded array of creative options for online video advertising.

As a result of the acquisition, we’ll now offer talent payment, outsourced traffic, and network clearance services, all of which will be integrated into the Extreme Reach video advertising platform.

To find more information about the Extreme Reach acquisition of Spotlight Business Affairs, learn more in our latest press release.