Stay informed with free updates
Simply sign up to the Media myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.
The UK Competition and Markets Authority has fined a group of sports broadcasters, including ITV and the BBC, more than £4mn for colluding over pay for freelance workers.
Sky, BT, IMG, ITV and the BBC shared information about fees they paid for roles such as camera operators and sound technicians, the CMA said in a statement on Friday, noting “15 instances where a pair of companies unlawfully shared sensitive information”.
All of the broadcasters except Sky have paid fines totalling £4,240,356 for the behaviour. The companies admitted to the conduct — which occurred at various points between 2014 and 2021 — and all received a discount on the penalty. Sky avoided a fine because it was the first to report its involvement.
The competition regulator opened its investigation in July 2022 and added the BBC and media agency Sunset & Vine to the case the following year. Sunset & Vine was dropped from the probe in 2024 on “administrative priority grounds”, the CMA said at the time.
“Employers must ensure those who hire staff know the rules and stick to them to prevent this happening in the future,” Juliette Enser, executive director for competition enforcement at the CMA, said in a statement.
Sky said that “as soon as we became aware of the issue, we proactively notified the CMA and co-operated fully with their investigation”.
The BBC said it was involved in “three of the 15 infringements . . . and admitted liability for these as soon as possible”. BT said it remained “committed to making sure our obligations are embedded into all levels of our business”.
ITV said it was “fully committed to complying with competition law and co-operated with the CMA throughout its investigation”.
An IMG spokesperson commented that it had “fully co-operated with the CMA’s enquiries . . . This matter has now been resolved, and IMG has taken all necessary steps to address any prior compliance issues.”
BT and IMG each paid a £1.7mn fine, with the BBC fined £424,165 and ITV £339,918.
A related investigation into non-sports TV and broadcasting was closed by the CMA on Friday.
Freelancers have been struggling in the UK as commercial broadcasters have cut budgets and reduced the volume of work in the face of a slowdown in advertising income.
In the case of the BBC, the government has squeezed its license free income, sparking warnings over the future of British-made programmes as US streaming services increasingly dominate.
The UK TV and radio production industry relies on freelancers, but the work is often poorly paid and insecure.
