London – 560 Media, the UK-based global rights collection agency, has signed a secondary-rights management deal with BBC Worldwide. Under the deal 560 Media will administer the distributor’s total global secondary collections, including those for the US and Canada. Under the long-term contract, 560 Media will manage the collection of the international revenues accrued through the secondary television rights exploitation of BBC Worldwide’s content, including retransmission, educational off-air recording and private-copy levies.
Nikki Touchard, global director of rights at BBCWW said: ‘John and his team are extremely knowledgeable in this sector and we were very impressed by the passion and commitment they demonstrated during our rigorous tender process. We are in no doubt that this dynamic company is best placed to manage our rights globally.’
John O’Sullivan, CEO of 560 Media, said: “BBC content has an extremely high secondary rights value, which makes this deal a real milestone for 560 Media. Despite our growing client base, which now numbers some of the UK’s most prestigious content-suppliers, we remain a boutique outfit, offering a highly personalised, customer-focused service. We help our clients maximise their revenues by unlocking the value of their secondary rights.”
560 Media’s client roster comprises more than 50 producers and distributors, including ITV Global Entertainment, which signed up for the service in June. Other recent additions to the 560 Media stable include TCB Media Rights, DCD and Keshet International. Last year, 560 Media signed up its first major broadcast client, Discovery Communications, which selected the agency’s bespoke systems for the registration, monitoring, collection and dispersal of its royalties.
Launched in late 2015 by O’Sullivan, formerly CEO and co-founder of Compact Collections, 560 Media’s mission is to offer a client-focused, intelligence-based revenue-management service that is robust, flexible and intuitive enough to manage TV and film rights in a fragmented and increasingly complex marketplace. Despite its rapidly expanding clientele, the agency aims to manage growth in order to maintain a low client-to-handler ratio. O’Sullivan personally oversees the entire operation.
