Which contract governs the relationship where networks obtain programming from studios?

• A. Subscription Agreement
• B. Carriage Agreement
• C. Licensing Agreement
• D. Syndication Agreement

Answer: (C)

At the core, this relationship is governed by a licensing agreement. A licensing agreement is the contract that grants a network the rights to broadcast or exhibit a studio’s programming, specifying what rights are included (for example, broadcast, streaming, or digital rights), the term of the license, the territory, whether the rights are exclusive or non-exclusive, payment terms, and any ancillary rights. This is the arrangement that allows networks to show the studio’s content on their channels or platforms.

This differs from a carriage agreement, which is about delivering the channel to viewers through a distributor or platform; a syndication agreement, which covers selling rights to rerun a program to other outlets after the initial run; and a subscription agreement, which is typically the deal between a subscriber and a service for access to content. Licensing is the mechanism that governs the actual use of the programming by the network from the studio.