TV broadcasting (cable and satellite)

Where does the money come from?

All UK based satellite, cable and digital television channels.

How are royalties calculated?

You will receive a royalty every time your music is played on the channels below:

We're continuing our pledge to remove broadcast sampling as a methods of determining royalty payments wherever it is economically viable to do so. As of July 2007, 80% of the total money we collect for TV broadcasts is paid out on a pay per play basis.

Don't forget that music used on stations that have been moved from sample to census will have a lower per minute value, since the available money is divided between many more performances.

For all other non-terrestrial channels, you will only receive payment if your music is broadcast on one of the sample days for that channel. The value of each play is dependent on the revenue received from and the amount of music sampled on each channel. The same fee is collected from each station, regardless of the level of sampling used.

As of July 2007, we have changed the way our TV distribution policy works. Following a 12 month period of discussion and debate, we have introduced a new prime-time weighting for broadcasts of music on TV between the hours of 1800 and 2359. The per minute cash value of your music on TV has been falling over the last few years due to increased music usage. This new policy is being phased in over the next three years to prevent the overall value of your music falling further. The effects of the July 2007 policy change on member earnings will be reviewed by the Board
during 2008.

View a list of current and archive per minute values and sample days / (affiliated societies click here)

What is the administration rate?

View current PRS for Music administration deduction rates 

When do we pay?

Royalties are paid quarterly, in accordance to the schedule below:

NB: the top row shows the month the performance took place. The second row shows the target distribution payment month.

If we receive usage information late from the broadcaster, we will pay the resulting royalties in the next available distribution.

Can royalties be backdated?

Yes. You can back-claim royalties up to 3 years after the period they should have been paid in (see schedule above).

Why might I not have been paid for a satellite/other TV broadcast?

Are you sure your music has been broadcast on one of our sample days?

Download and check the sample day list above.

Are you sure that the broadcaster played your music?

Contact the broadcaster to find out more.

Are you sure your music has been registered correctly?

Check our database

Have we received music information from the broadcaster (known as a Cue Sheet)?

Search our Cue Sheets system. If we have not received a Cue Sheet, you should request that the broadcaster supplies this to us, or you can email a copy to: searchcuesheets@prsformusic.com

Please include the Production ID and Production Title.

Paper copies can be sent to:
Search Cue Sheets
I&P
PRS for Music
Copyright House
29-33 Berners St
London W1T 3AB

Was the broadcast more than 3 months ago?

We pay broadcast royalties quarterly, so your work must have been broadcast at least 3 months ago for you to receive a royalty (see schedule above). If broadcast information was received late, you will receive payment in the next available period.

Have we been able to identify the performance of your music?

Sometimes due to incomplete details being received, we are unable to match broadcasts to music on our database. To find out if any of your music remains unidentified, please use our Check Unpaid Performances service.

Need more help?

If after checking the above you still haven’t received payment, please contact us.