Media company Discovery Networks has scrapped controversial plans to stop paying performance royalties to composers for shows aired in the US across its channels including Discovery Channel and Animal Planet. As first reported by Variety in December, Discovery Networks was planning to start asking composers to agree to “direct source licenses” for their music, (i.e. having their rights bought outright ), or risk having their work removed from programming.
Source: Victory for composers as Discovery Networks U-turns on rights buyout plan