Lately I keep hearing completely different numbers depending on the film, territory and overall market situation. Most partners I speak with still mention around 20% commission as the “normal” range, but I also know sales agents working closer to 10%, especially when producers already bring buyers, festival exposure or pre-sales to the table. On the other side, there are still companies asking for 25-35% while many films now sit unsold for years and MGs continue getting smaller. So what actually feels fair today for completed films, streaming deals, pre-sales, collection account handling or long-term library sales? Has the traditional sales agent model simply become too expensive for today’s market, or are producers underestimating how difficult international sales have become lately?
I think the traditional flat 20% model is becoming outdated.
If a sales agent is simply forwarding emails between buyers and producers, then 20% feels excessive. But if they are risking their own capital, offering an MG, funding market screenings, or genuinely pushing territory-by-territory sales, that’s a completely different conversation.
From what I see in today’s market:
10–15% feels fair when producers already bring festival exposure, pre-sales or strong packaging.
20% still makes sense for tough indie territory-by-territory sales where the agent is actively working Cannes, EFM or AFM.
25%+ without real financial risk starts becoming difficult to justify in 2026.
The bigger issue today is often not even the commission itself, but uncapped recoupable expenses. A “cheap” 15% deal can still destroy producer revenue if marketing and market costs remain unlimited.
And global streaming deals are a separate discussion entirely. If one SVOD deal closes worldwide rights in a single contract, a full 20% commission feels hard to defend.
Personally, I think producers need to negotiate smarter:
shorter terms, capped expenses, and real performance expectations.
Because in today’s market, some sales agreements are starting to look more profitable for the intermediary than for the actual film itself.
