Invoice Finance for Broadcast
& Media Businesses
Release working capital from eligible outstanding invoices and reduce the extent to which customer payment terms control your own cash flow.
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You’ve Delivered. Why Wait for
All the Cash?
The programme has been delivered.
The world feed is complete.
The event has finished.
Your client has been invoiced.
But your own financial commitments continue.
Camera operators, engineers, EVS crew, production staff, freelancers, rental houses, facilities providers and other suppliers may all need paying before your customer settles the invoice.
At the same time, another project may already be approaching.
Invoice finance can help eligible broadcast and media businesses convert outstanding B2B invoices into available working capital sooner.
The Cash-Flow Gap After Delivery
Media and production businesses can incur significant costs before and during a project.
Once delivery is complete, another period can then pass before payment arrives.
This creates a funding gap between:
the point at which you pay to deliver the work
and
the point at which your customer pays you.
When multiple projects overlap, that gap can become more pronounced.
The business may be profitable and busy but still have substantial amounts of cash tied up in receivables.
Invoice finance is designed around that issue.
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- 0330 027 0433
How Invoice Finance Works
Once an eligible invoice has been raised, an invoice finance provider may advance an agreed proportion of its value.
MacManus’ wider invoice finance proposition includes facilities capable of advancing up to 90% of eligible invoices, although actual advance rates depend on the lender, debtor profile and facility.
When the customer pays, the remaining balance is dealt with according to the terms of the facility, less applicable charges.
Structures may include:
- Factoring
- Invoice discounting
- Confidential invoice discounting
- Other receivables-based facilities
What Could the Released Cash Be Used For?
Pay Crew and Freelancers
Meet payment commitments without relying solely on your customer’s payment timetable.
Settle Equipment and Facilities Suppliers
Pay rental houses, studios, technical suppliers and production partners.
Mobilise the Next Project
Use cash released from completed work to help support new productions or contracts.
Fund Payroll and Overheads
Maintain day-to-day business expenditure while customer invoices remain outstanding.
Support Growth
Reduce the extent to which money trapped in the debtor book restricts the business from accepting additional opportunities.
Large Customers Can Still Create Cash-Flow Pressure
Supplying established broadcasters, agencies, rights holders or major production companies can provide valuable revenue.
But large customers often operate structured procurement and approval processes.
The issue may not necessarily be whether the customer will pay.
The issue can simply be when they will pay relative to your own financial commitments.
Invoice finance can help bridge that timing difference where the invoices and customers satisfy the provider’s criteria.
Funding the Next Production
Consider a business that has completed a major sporting event.
The invoice has been submitted.
The customer is expected to pay, but the payment date is still several weeks away.
Meanwhile:
- Freelancers need paying
- Equipment invoices fall due
- Travel costs require settlement
- VAT is approaching
- Another production is being mobilised
Waiting for the previous invoice can restrict the business’s capacity to move forward.
Invoice finance may allow completed and invoiced work to contribute to funding the next project before the customer has paid.
Factoring or Invoice Discounting?
Factoring
The finance provider may undertake some or all of the credit-control process.
Invoice Discounting
The business generally retains more direct control over customer collections.
Confidential Facilities
Confidential invoice discounting may be available to businesses that satisfy the relevant provider’s criteria. MacManus can help assess the debtor book and identify an appropriate facility structure.
When Might Invoice Finance Be Suitable?
It may be worth exploring where:
- Your business sells to other businesses on credit terms
- A significant amount of working capital sits in unpaid invoices
- Crew and suppliers require payment before customers settle
- Growth is increasing the amount of cash tied up in debtors
- You regularly have multiple projects overlapping
- You want funding capacity to increase alongside eligible invoiced turnover
Turn Completed Work Into Working Capital
If you are regularly waiting for broadcasters, production companies, agencies, rights holders or commercial customers to pay, speak to MacManus about whether invoice finance could fit your business.
Broadcast & Media Invoice Finance FAQs
Potentially, provided the invoice, customer and underlying contractual arrangement satisfy lender criteria.
Facilities are available in the wider MacManus market offering with advance rates of up to 90% of eligible invoice value, but actual rates depend on the provider and applicant.
That depends on the facility. Some structures are disclosed while confidential facilities may be available to qualifying businesses.
Released cash becomes working capital for the business and may generally be used for legitimate business expenditure, subject to facility terms.
Conventional invoice finance normally requires an eligible invoice for completed goods or services. Other working-capital facilities may be more appropriate before invoicing.
Potentially. Because funding availability is linked to eligible receivables, capacity may increase as eligible invoiced turnover grows.
Apply for Invoice Finance
Fill out the form below or call us at 0330 027 0433 for more details
and we’ll get in touch to discuss your options.
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