Telemovie production payments remain stagnant in Malaysia

The Malaysian creative industry is facing a severe crisis, with television stations clinging to outdated payment rates for telemovies that have remained stagnant for over three decades. This situation, as highlighted by Utusan Malaysia, is not merely an inconvenience but an existential threat to the livelihoods of thousands of producers and production crew members.

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Imagine the profit on paper is only RM3,000 for one title at a time. How about the pre-production costs for several weeks before filming and the fuel costs for scouting locations? That's not including artist fees. Sometimes, television stations want prominent artists, which of course costs more. In fact, there was a time when my friend and I had to add RM20,000 for artist fees, compared to the payment received which was only RM110,000. We had to 'spend' on paying the artists first in the hope of future 'jobs' and wanting to build a name with the best quality work. But all that remains is hope.

Producers like Iskandar Zulkarnain are struggling to make ends meet, with production costs soaring while the fees paid by broadcasters remain stubbornly fixed. A telemovie costing RM127,000 to produce might only fetch RM130,000, leaving a razor-thin profit margin of RM3,000. This doesn't account for pre-production expenses, logistics, or the often-higher fees for prominent actors, which producers are forced to cover out-of-pocket, hoping for future work.

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To continue operations, production companies that need to be registered under a private limited company need to pay taxes and at the same time are obliged to make annual audits which cost around RM5,000 to RM20,000. So try to imagine if we only get one or two 'jobs'. That's not including other costs.

This economic pressure is compounded by the practice of television stations repeatedly recycling old content, stifling the creation of new productions and diminishing job prospects. The government's 2019 decision to increase rates for RTM productions, while a step in the right direction, has not trickled down to the private sector. The continued reliance on outdated financial models threatens the sustainability of local production houses, many of which are small businesses burdened by taxes and audit costs. The future of aspiring filmmakers and the overall health of Malaysia's creative ecosystem hang precariously in the balance.

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Many parties who previously talked about the issue of royalties are being discussed