​A deal on residual payments between the three largest Hollywood guilds and major studios means that a plethora of TV reruns are being made available for the first time for cable channels and digital networks.

The agreement breaks what The New York Times called a “residual gridlock,” and recognizes the evolving landscape of the TV industry.

The deal covers made-for-cable shows being acquired by cable networks, along with older shows being rerun on “diginets” or digital broadcast subchannels.

Rather than the old fixed residual payments, professionals covered by the guild agreements will now receive residuals based on a percentage of the licensing deal when it comes to a made-for-cable show being sold to a cable net. The Times used the example of FXX buying securing AMC’s Breaking Bad.

Although the diginets such as Antenna TV, Cozi TV, Bounce TV, and MeTV are a small segment of the TV market, they are an important avenue for reaching consumers who do not pay for cable or satellite service.

The new agreement with the studios means classic shows like Charlie’s Angels and Love Boat are now more affordable for the diginet upstarts. The Times says that “broken shows,” or those cancelled after a few dozen episodes, are also covered by the new deal.

Read More: The New York Times

Brief Take: The new residual deals mean that nascent networks can afford to buy classic shows.

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