World Media Economics and Management Conference 2016

Film and television fiction in Flanders, Belgium, has known some marked international success in recent years. However, there are concerns about whether or not screenwriters and directors receive monetary rewards for this success. In media economic approaches to audiovisual media, individual creators’ income is usually not addressed, but it may impact the value chain as a whole. This paper gives an overview of interdisciplinary perspectives on remuneration for screenwriters and directors and actors of film and television. It will also address authors’ own perspectives on the matter, and a disconcerting lack of data to gain further insight. The paper then focuses on policy discourse and legislative measures in the field of authors’ rights and copyright. In Belgium as well as Europe, the legislative framework governing authors’ rights is in flux. This paper will aim to assess the role the principle of fair remuneration for authors plays within this policy discourse.