The media business is constantly evolving. In little more than a century, the printed word has been joined by radio, then television and the internet. Multimedia companies now choose between these channels for disseminating their content. The traditional media – print, analogue radio and terrestrial TV – remain just as exposed to claims as they ever were, while the digital revolution has opened up a world of opportunity. The web gives media businesses a global audience, but the repercussions from any mistakes they may make are magnified.

Whether your client is a global news organisation or a local paper, a football podcaster or a fashion vlogger, a publishing house, on-demand TV broadcaster or an image or sound library, Hiscox’s updated multimedia professional indemnity policy offers your client the peace of mind of knowing that they are protected no matter how or where their content is shown, read or heard.

    Who is this product for?

    Your clients may need this insurance if they:

    • Distribute content created by them or a third party
    • Publish books in print, electronic or audio formats
    • Broadcast by TV, radio, online or produce podcasts
    • Use others to provide media content on their behalf
    • Allow and/or moderate user-generated content on their websites
    • Acquire and licence third-party content, including music and images
    • Use confidential sources and information in their reporting activities
    • Create and monetise a blog or vlog.

    Standard policy features include:

    • Intellectual property, including plagiarism and correct attribution
    • Defamation
    • Breach of confidentiality or privacy
    • Automatic cover for additional insureds.

    Extra benefits of choosing Hiscox:

    • Protection against allegations of discrimination in the insured’s content
      We will defend and indemnify the insured if what they write or say is deemed to be discriminatory, harassment, or unfair treatment.
    • Emotional distress
      We cover the insured in the event that their content causes emotional distress to third parties, including but not limited to through themes, images, statements, etc
    • Coverage for the insured’s freelancers
      We will work with the insured to cover claims made against any media content providers they employ to produce content for them.
    • Legal costs to challenge an unfair PIN
      Police Information Notices (PINs) are increasingly being issued against journalists and photographers for alleged harassment, often to block a story’s publication. Hiscox will pay towards legal costs to defend against an unfairly served PIN.
    • Full limit for appeal costs
      We understand the importance of the insured standing their ground in a legal battle, which is why we provide up to their policy limit for appeal costs, whereas some other insurers may force them to settle and apologise.

    How we help our clients protect their reputations

    Credit where credit’s due
    A publishing house faced legal action from a writer who claimed one of their books contained work taken, without acknowledgment, from his own earlier biography on the subject. The author admitted the oversight, and we acted to resolve the issue quickly and discretely to avoid any damage being done to the well-known author’s reputation. We settled the matter for a modest payment and a credit in future editions of the book, along with strong provisions to ensure the matter remained quiet.

    Settling a user generated content claim
    A company was threatened with litigation by a person whose content they had removed from one of their websites, claiming their decision was defamatory and a breach of his free speech rights. We investigated the claim, concluded the insured had done nothing wrong and then worked with the insured to robustly defend the claim, which ultimately was not pursued further.

    Get a quote

    Speak to your local Hiscox underwriter