FAQs About SASPRO

SASPRO (South African Screen Performers’ Rights Organisation) is a non profit collective management organisation established to represent South African audiovisual performers in relation to performers’ rights and the collection and distribution of royalties arising from the use of their recorded performances.

For many years, South African screen actors have contributed to productions that generate revenue locally and internationally, but have had limited mechanisms to claim ongoing royalties when those works are reused, rebroadcast or exploited on new platforms. SASPRO was created to provide a dedicated, non-profit, professional body that can negotiate and administer these rights, ensure that royalties are collected, and see that they are paid to the performers who earned them.

Yes. SASPRO is in a “soft launch” phase and is already operating through cooperation agreements with counterpart organisations in other territories. While the formal statutory provisions for audiovisual performers’ royalties in South Africa are still being finalised, SASPRO is able to collect certain contractual residuals and royalties identified by its international partners and prepare for full implementation once the enabling legislation is in force.

SASPRO represents its members: South African professional performers whose work appears in recorded audiovisual productions, including film, television, streaming content, and certain forms of advertising and digital media. Over time, as the legal framework develops, this representation may extend to a wider range of screen based performance.

No. SASPRO is not a trade union or professional guild; it is a collective management organisation. That means its primary function is to administer rights and royalties on behalf of performers, rather than to bargain collectively on terms and conditions of employment. SASPRO works alongside unions, guilds and professional bodies that represent performers’ broader labour interests.