Official UK procurement notice
Blanket Audio-visual Copyright Licence
Authority: NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe Motion Picture Licensing Company (MPLC) provides a Blanket Licence that legally authorises the public performance of copyrighted audiovisual works—films, TV programmes, streaming clips, and training videos—in non-domestic environments. This is required under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, particularly after the 2016 amendment to Section 72, which removed exemptions for films in public settings.
Purpose and Legal Requirement
The licence ensures compliance for organisations showing audiovisual content in workplaces, stations, depots, or staff areas. Activities such as streaming YouTube or TED Talks during safety briefings, or displaying news feeds on office TVs, count as public performance and require MPLC licensing. Other licences like TV Licence or PRS/PPL do not cover these uses.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1Awarded
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Direct award
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Notice status
- Awarded without competition
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Utilities
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Direct award (no call for competition)
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA, CPTPP)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 25 Nov 2025, 15:14 GMT
- Last source update
- 16 Dec 2025, 15:01 GMT
- Authority reference
project_44719- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-083454- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05e891Find a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Single Suppliers Intellectual Property Exclusive Rights; Single Suppliers Technical Reasons
- Published justification
Exclusive Rights – Sole Supplier
MPLC (Motion Picture Licensing Company) is the only provider of the blanket licence for public performance of films and TV content in non-domestic settings under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 - No alternative suppliers offer equivalent coverage.
Legal Obligation
Since the 2016 amendment to Section 72 CDPA, exemptions for film broadcasts in public spaces were removed. Organisations like Network Rail must hold an MPLC licence to avoid copyright infringement.
This is a statutory requirement, similar to a TV licence, making competitive tendering irrelevant because the licence is a legal necessity
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
11 Dec 2025 → 16 Dec 2025 · 2 dates- Standstill ends319 days ago11 Dec 2025, 23:59 GMT
- Notice published314 days ago16 Dec 2025, 15:01 GMT
Notice history
4 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 25 Nov 2025- Transparency notice published25 Nov 2025, 15:14 GMTUK5
- Contract award notice published2 Dec 2025, 15:22 GMTUK6
- Contract signature expected15 Dec 2025, 23:59 GMTscheduled
- Contract details notice published16 Dec 2025, 15:01 GMTUK7
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motion Picture Licensing Company Limited15 Dec 2025 – 30 Sept 2030 | £864,138 | 25 Nov 2025 | Awarded |
Contracts
Blanket Audio-visual Copyright Licence · Motion Picture Licensing Company Limited
- Signed
- 15 Dec 2025
- Value
- £864,138
- Period
- 15 Dec 2025 – 30 Sept 2030
- Status
- active
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- MOTION PICTURE LICENSING COMPANY LIMITEDAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender