Berlin, 9 July 2025 - After years of negotiations, the German Directors' Association (BVR), Netflix and the trade union ver.di have reached a landmark agreement. Binding Joint Remuneration Rules (GVR) will come into force immediately for independent directors working on German-language Netflix series productions. The agreement is valid until the end of 2030.

The new regulations provide for significantly higher minimum fees and introduce performance-related additional remuneration. In addition, bonuses for directors for the production of subsequent seasons have been established. Another focus of the agreement is the handling of artificial intelligence (AI), for which binding guidelines have been defined within the directing industry for the first time.

This agreement amicably settled a long-standing conflict between Netflix and the BVR. The trade union ver.di played a key mediating role.

Jobst Oetzmann, Managing Director of the BVR, describes the agreement as "an important milestone for the directing trade in Germany". Valentin Döring, legal advisor at ver.di, emphasises that the new regulations complement the previous remuneration models for film teams and actors and take the specific role of directors appropriately into account. Netflix's Head of Labour Relations Rachel C. Schumacher sees the agreement as a sensible extension of the existing framework.

The agreement signals a significant step towards greater appreciation and fair pay for key creative figures in the film and series industry.