As part of the 2013 SAG-AFTRA Commercials Contract (the "Contract"), all commercials produced for television, radio and digital platforms that feature SAG-AFTRA union members (collectively, the "Commercials") must now incorporate Ad-ID. Ad-ID is a standardized system that identifies and tracks Commercial usage across multiple platforms. Specifically, Ad-ID assigns a unique code to each Commercial and tracks usage of the Commercial to help advertisers (and the SAG-AFTRA union) to track required payments (as per the terms of the Contract). To incorporate Ad-ID, an interested party must follow the registration process to obtain an Ad-ID prefix, after which the registered party can purchase Ad-ID codes for its Commercials at prescribed rates (see here for the current rates).
All Commercials created on or after April 1, 2014 must incorporate Ad-ID, failing which Ad-ID is required to report to the SAG-AFTRA union which advertisers, agencies and vendors are not complying with the Ad-ID mandate. To help ensure Commercials created after March 31 comply with the Contract, Ad-ID has created a Sign Up Checklist (available here). Gowlings is happy to assist with any questions regarding these requirements or the Contract.
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