NRK and Norwaco have not yet reached an agreement in negotiations regarding the use of older TV and radio programs. If they fail to do so, thousands of hours of content will disappear from NRK's streaming services on New Year's Eve.
/ 12/11/2021 / Willy MartinsenThroughout the autumn, the rights organization Norwaco (which represents TONO and more than 30 other cultural organizations) and NRK have been negotiating what is a reasonable payment for NRK to make older programs openly available in the NRK TV and NRK Radio apps. The payment does not apply to NRK employees, but to temporarily hired freelancers and artists who have contributed to the productions.
31 of Norwaco's member organizations are today issuing a call to NRK on www.ikketilgjengelig.noThe organizations warn that NRK's unwillingness to pay reasonable remuneration to hired freelancers and artists could lead to large parts of NRK archive will go black from the New Year. TONO members are encouraged to support the campaign by, for example, sharing a link to www.ikketilgjengelig.no in social media.
The old agreement, which is now in danger of not being extended, gives NRK the right to make programs broadcast before 1997 available digitally – even if the broadcaster originally paid only for linear use.
Most productions from the period 1997 to 2015 have not been contracted. This is the reason why audiences cannot find popular and award-winning series such as Himmelblå, Berlinerpoplene, Kodenavn Hunter, Kampen for tilværensen and Koselig med Peis.
It is also not possible to listen to newer radio plays or legendary radio programs like Hallo i uken.
- The productions are created with the help of Norwegian actors, playwrights, directors, composers, photographers and others. When NRK wants to use the programs in a different way and to a completely different extent, it is reasonable that those who have contributed are paid for the new use, says Elisabeth Sjaastad, leader of the Norwegian Film Association and representative of the member organizations in Norwaco.
Until 2019, Norwaco's annual fee was NOK 19 million. In 2020, the parties did not reach an agreement on a new agreement, but agreed on a temporary solution in which NRK paid NOK 9 million for limited use of the archive. The number of hours was then halved from 17,000 to 8000 hours of content.
- We are disappointed that NRK has so far not been willing to pay a fair remuneration for our members' contributions. It is Norwegian cultural heritage that is now in danger of disappearing, and with a budget of six billion kroner, we believe NRK can afford to offer this content to viewers, as the NRK poster also says they should, says Sjaastad.
If the parties do not reach an agreement, all programs broadcast before 1997 must be removed from the archive no later than midnight on New Year's Eve. There will also be no opportunity to publish the newer programs broadcast between 1997 and 2015.
For questions, contact:
Elisabeth Sjaastad, head of the Norwegian Film Association: elisabeth@filmforbundet.no, mobile 906 83,800
Willy Martinsen, communications manager at TONO: willy.martinsen@tono.no, mobile 909 65,254
Organizations behind:
BONO
Creo
The Norwegian Authors' Association
PHONO
Association of Free Photographers
GramArt
IFPI Norway
The music publishers
NAViO
NOPA
NORA
Norwegian Artists' Association
Norwegian Non-Fiction Writers and Translators Association
Norwegian Film Association
Norwegian Journalists' Association
Norwegian Composers' Association
Norwegian Critics Association
Norwegian Translators' Association
Norwegian Revue Writers Association
Norwegian Stage Directors Association
Norwegian Actors' Union
Norwegian Society of Musicians
Norwegian Children's and Young Adult Book Authors
Norwegian Visual Artists
Norwegian Dance Artists
Norwegian Dramatists' Association
Norwegian Film Directors
Norwegian Craftsmen
nyMusikks Composers Group
TONO
The Danish Producers' Association
About Norwaco:
Norwaco is an umbrella organization for Norwegian rights holders. On behalf of 36 member organizations and their 65,000 individual members, Norwaco licenses the use of TV and radio productions. The remuneration goes back to the rights holders and helps to form the basis for new creative activities.