Understanding this particular sense of バーター

Question

I have trouble comprehending this sense of the word バーター:

②俗に，人気のある俳優・タレントなどを出演させる見返りとして，同じ事務所の格下の俳優・タレントなどの出演を依頼すること。バーター出演。抱き合わせ出演。

It seems like in the entertainment industry, when two agencies trying to make a deal with each other, they barter their actors. For the sake of this discussion, let's call an agency with a high reputation actor A and call another agency with a low reputation actor B. In this business practice, agency A offers agency B to send their high reputation actor to act on some set. In exchange, agency B offers to let their low reputation actor to act together with their actor. It is a way for agency B to make their actor more well-known.

I wonder if this is the correct way to understand the meaning of the word バーター? In particular, I am not sure what 同じ事務所 in the definition refers to. In my explanation above, does it refer to agency A or agency B?

Answer 1

事務所 is an agency. So A and B are high/low rep actors of the same agency.

The meaning of barter is more or less literal. (Say,) TV wants A because A's appearing increases the popularity of the program. The agency wants to sell B, who is less famous and accordingly less wanted by TV. So the agency agrees to provide A on the condition that B also gets a deal (i.e. adopted for some program). Thus TV side and the agency exchange 'providing A' (advantage for TV) and 'getting the deal for B' (advantage for the agency).

Answer 2

This explanation involves only one talent agency.

Rough translation:

As a jargon, in exchange for letting their popular actor appear (in a film, on a stage etc), an agency request to appoint their less popular actor as well.

So, 同じ事務所 is employed to indicated both popular and less popular actors belong to "the same agency".