The MU Television agreement covers instrumental musicians - not singers - in all other types of engagement needed for television (in vision and in sound only), including rehearsal pianists, plus music writers (copyists) and musical directors where these are not either players who direct the music incidentally to their playing or conductors covered by the ISM agreement.

The MU Television agreement.
Payment of the fees set out in this agreement entitle the BBC to transmit the programme in which the musician’s performance appears, once, on one of its channels, via all its transmission platforms (terrestrial, digital, cable), either simultaneously or at different times in different BBC regions.

The agreement provides for reduced fees to musicians working on programmes transmitted in one region only.

Payment of these fees also gives the BBC the right to make repeat transmissions, either on the same channel or on another, or in the same region. The exercise of this right by the BBC requires payment of further fees calculated as a percentage of the individual artist’s original fee. Unlike the BBC/Equity agreement, this one does not place restrictions on the number of repeats allowed, or on the time within which they may be made.

There is special provision for signature tunes, national anthems etc, which allows a higher fee to be paid at the time the musician works, and for the BBC to use the music recorded without restriction for five years. The BBC can then pay a further fee, and extend this right for a further five years.