Rights Manager

The Role

Rights Manager

Legal

Permanent | Full Time

Location: Leeds or London

This role can be based in our offices in Leeds or London (Please note regular travel to our base in Leeds will be required).

Hiring range: £45,000 - £50,000

The team

ITV manages a catalogue of c.290,000+ hours of television programmes, feature films and formats produced by the ITV companies or commissioned/acquired from third parties for broadcast and distribution. Effective management of the rights data that informs availability of these assets underpins the company’s commercial strategies for the exploitation and re-use of content throughout the world via multiple distribution channels.

As part of the Legal team, the Rights Management department works alongside Production, Music and Finance teams to provide all areas of the business, and ITV’s strategic partners, with visibility and access to its content. The department engages with many areas of the business that need rights availability and cost information in order to license content, particularly ITV Studios Global Partnerships – including via internal trading. Licensing of content itself leads to payment and reporting obligations that also rely on accurate rights data.

The role

The Rights Manager works with the Head of Rights Management to promote the widest possible exploitation of ITV’s content. They are responsible for recording and maintaining rights data, advising on the availability and cost of exploiting rights and supporting ITV’s sales and distribution arms through the documentation, governance, administration and assessment of rights exploitation.

Some Key Responsibilities:

• Demonstrate commercial awareness and understand the needs of ITV’s distribution business and more broadly, to be aware of the media landscape, particularly focussing on ITV’s existing client requirements and future exploitation ambitions.
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with partners to ensure the continual flow of accurate rights information in and out of the department.
• Manage the workload and priorities of a team to ensure maximum productivity with a focus on departmental objectives/company strategy.
• Assess availability of content and offer accurate clearance and cost information to all exploitation areas within company deadlines.
• Provide solutions to rights clearance and cost issues and where necessary (including renewal negotiations), undertake risk assessments relating to IP exploitation and escalate issues as needed to the Head of Rights Management.
• Monitor performance (including the adherence to policies, processes and data quality standards) against the agreed key performance indicators.
• Support the Head of Rights Management in the development and maintenance of appropriate and future facing rights management systems
• Assisting in producing reporting to meet ITV’s obligations.
• Keep abreast of rights and talent union issues.
• Where necessary work on the coaching and development of a team.
• Support the wider team by covering for other Rights Managers due to sickness or annual leave

Skills you’ll need (minimum criteria).

• Commercial awareness and an understanding of the UK Media industry, distribution and exploitation of programmes and formats
• Experience in working in rights management, programme distribution/sales, rights acquisition or similar IP exploitation
• Advanced managerial skills/experience
• Excellent data management skills
• Experience of delivering to agreed service levels
• Experienced user of a rights management system

Other things we’re looking for (key criteria)

• Effective communication, interpersonal and influencing skills with an ability to build successful working relationships at all levels
• Accuracy and an eye for detail
• Strong literacy, numeracy and technology skills

Closing date: Wednesday 30th July 2025