Important Information for Performing Artists in the Audiovisual Sector

Delay in the Payment of National Royalties to Performing Artists in the Audiovisual Sector (Actors and Voice Actors)

A proposed motion introduced by the coalition parties on September 23, 2026, aims to grant the VdFS—the collecting society for film professionals—the authority to distribute revenues from the retransmission of film works to performing artists for their performances. It is in line with the VdFS’s long-standing distribution practice to distribute revenue from the right of retransmission to actors and voice actors as well, even though, in the view of the Supervisory Authority for Collecting Societies (Aufsichtsbehörde) and the Ministry of Justice, copyright law provides only a very limited right of broadcast for performing artists.

This has raised doubts as to whether this practice is still within the VdFS’s discretion. Discontinuing this distribution practice would deprive performing artists of further funds, particularly in times of budgetary restrictions; for this reason, the initiative motion proposes amending the Collecting Societies Act (VerwGesG 2016) based on the model of similar regulations—such as those governing the retransmission of ORF programs.

The coalition parties’ legislative motion is available at www.parlament.gv.at/gegenstand/XXVIII/A/1008

As soon as this legislative motion is adopted by the National Council, the VdFS will immediately distribute the domestic royalties for performing artists in the audiovisual sector that had been withheld until then.