A television show creator or television program creator is the person who developed a significant part of a TV show's format, concept, characters, and pilot script.
For example, the Writers Guild of America West provides specifications for creator credits that govern its members.
[5] The creator of a television show may retain rights to participate in profits, often to be paid by the production company as a percentage of fees that it receives from networks and distributors.
[6] In 2014, for prime-time network TV shows, the WGA-required royalty to be paid to a writer with "created by" credit is approximately $1,000 per episode or higher.
In a 2013 legal case, a director sued a former writing partner for co-creator credit.