A unique model matching investment from contributing broadcasters and production companies, it is different to other ScreenSkills Skills Funds which are funded by productions alone with contributions normally collected in pre-production. Joint contributions from producers and commissioners reflects the collective decision by industry to address under-investment in training for unscripted TV.
Decisions about how the Fund is invested are made by practitioners who understand what is needed to develop talent behind the camera across all unscripted genres.
The Unscripted Skills Fund (USF) also supports the industry-wide commitment to: professionalising working practices; diversifying the workforce to better represent the population in the UK; and finding collective solutions to training and career development that champion excellence and open doors to opportunities across the UK.
Every producer making an unscripted TV programme commissioned by one of the participating broadcasters/SVoDs will contribute.
BBC, Channel 4, Sky, A+E Networks UK, Discovery UK, Channel 5, Netflix, ITV, Amazon, UKTV and S4C are on board as participating broadcasters/SVoDs and will match the contribution made by producers.
Unscripted programmes include:
- Specialist factual
- General factual
- Factual entertainment
- Sport (excluding rights)
- Entertainment
- Current affairs
- Arts and classical music
- Religion and ethics
- Education
Producers contribute 0.125% of the agreed price of the commission. The broadcaster/SVoD will contribute the same amount to the Fund (a total contribution of 0.25%)
The USF contribution will not form part of the programme budget. Instead, the producer/licence agreement will stipulate that the broadcaster will reduce the payment to the production company by 0.125% to cover the USF contribution. So, for example, if the licence fee is £100,000 the payment made will be £99,875 (a deduction of £125)
Your contribution is not due until you deliver the programme/final episode to the commissioning broadcaster/SVoD. Contributions are deducted from the final licence fee/producers fee payment just like the Directors UK fee.
If a programme has multiple funders, the 0.25% contribution is proportionate to the budget share of the participating broadcaster(s) rather than the total budget.
It will be deducted from your final producers' fee just like the Directors UK fee.
The broadcaster/SVoD will collect the Fund contribution for the production company and pay this directly to ScreenSkills each quarter.
Any factual productions accessing tax credits and contributing to the High-end TV Skills Fund or Children’s TV Skills Fund will not be expected to also contribute to this Fund. Any feature documentaries seeking the film tax credit and contributing to the Film Skills Fund are also excluded from the Unscripted TV Skills Fund.
As with other ScreenSkills’ skills funds, the Unscripted TV Skills Fund is overseen by a council comprised of representatives from production companies across the UK.
Several working groups, comprised of production companies, focus on investment in five core areas of need - craft and tech, production, post-production, development, and industry and business skills.
The council reviews the annual plan for investment as recommended by the working groups. Once approved by the council, it is discussed and ratified with the steering group.
The steering group, which includes all contributing broadcasters and SVoDs, also oversees the Fund’s strategic objectives and operational efficacy.
Half of the membership of the working groups and council comes from companies with a substantive base out of London (as defined by Ofcom[1]).
[1] The base will be taken to be substantive if it is the usual place of employment of: i) executives managing the regional business; and ii) senior personnel involved in the production in question; and iii) senior personnel involved in seeking programme commissions. Taken from Ofcom’s ‘Regional production and regional programme definitions’ Publication Date: 19 June 2019
Training falls into one of five core areas of need - craft and tech, production, post-production, development, and industry and business skills.
You can find a list of current, and past training programmes here. The USF also invests in a comprehensive slate of free online courses available for staff and freelancers working in unscripted tv.
Priorities and investment is updated on an annual basis and informed by research.
For more information, see our latest research.
As with all ScreenSkills training, the Fund looks for the most appropriate experts. All training will be awarded through a tender process that is open to training providers and industry practitioners across the UK.
The Fund is committed to building the pool of training providers out of London to deliver locally-based training to those working in unscripted TV across the UK. A minimum of 50% of the funds awarded to training will go to training providers based in the nations and regions.
The USF is committed to training and development initiatives delivered locally across the UK as well as online.
A slate of free online short courses has been available to all from the launch of the Fund. You can find the list of courses here .
The Unscripted TV Skills Fund works in the same way as the other ScreenSkills skills funds in that solutions to the skills needs are identified by industry professionals and by ScreenSkills research, but it is different because unscripted TV does not benefit from tax credits. This is reflected in a lower percentage contribution 0.125% (against 0.5% for other Skills Funds).
A lower percentage contribution does mean that it is not financially feasible to support training on a production-by-production basis.
Overall, at least 50% of beneficiaries will meet at least one industry-recognised diversity and inclusion aim. Each training programme commissioned through the fund will be expected to meet its own diversity and inclusion aims set by the working groups.
The broader ambition is to tackle acknowledged problems including barriers to career progression for talent and crew at the mid to senior level. This will help effect structural change with a greater diversity of talent in commissioning, decision-making and hiring positions.
Also, a significant percentage of the Fund will support beneficiaries based in the nations and regions.
All production company contributions will be split equally between supporting training for those based in London and those based in the nations and regions.
The same applies to contributions from Sky, A+E Networks UK, Discovery UK, Channel 5, Netflix, ITV, Amazon and UKTV.
All of the BBC and Channel 4 broadcaster contributions will be invested in support of beneficiaries who are based outside of London.
All of the S4C broadcaster contributions will be invested in support of beneficiaries who are based in Wales.
Working groups are comprised of eight production company members including:
- 50% companies with a substantive base in the nations and regions
- 30% companies with turnover of £3 million or less (can be the same as the above)
- representation of a range of genres
Each group addresses a specific core area of need - craft and tech, production, post-production, development, and industry and business skills.
Council members include all working group chairs as well as other nations and regions representatives. You can see a list of all members here.
The steering group is made up of each of the contributing broadcasters, the chair of the council and a small number of council members.
You can contact anyone on the Unscripted TV Skills Council at any time if you want to speak to your peers and colleagues about the Fund. There is someone representing every nation and region in the UK.
Keep up-to-date with the Unscripted TV Skills Fund on our website.
ScreenSkills will highlight new and current opportunities in its regular training e-newsletters (sign up here).
The unscripted team also sends out a monthly email with specific information about unscripted online courses and training programmes. To sign up please email the team at USF@screenskills.com.
Alternatively, you can contact Sarah Joyce, Head of Unscripted and Children’s TV, if you have any questions about the Fund, its governance, processes, training priorities etc.
Please contact Claire Stratton if you want to discuss the online short course training slate, if you are an industry professional interested in becoming a trainer, or if you are a training provider with questions.
For more information, see the executive summary of the Unscripted Skills Fund's annual report for 22/23.